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When counting duration in months, is it ~ヶ月間or just ~ヶ月? Example:

  • 私はもう六ヶ月ぐらい日本語を勉強しています。
  • ジルと暮らした四ヶ月間

( btw I don't know what the second example means I just took it from my textbook so I would appreciate it if someone could help me translate it 🙏)

Are both of these sentences correct?

Babana Moisrure
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1 Answers1

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Either way is fine. The "rules" regarding this are a bit irregular.

「間{かん}」 optional with:

秒、分、日、月、年

「間」 needed with:

時、週

This is because for instance, 1時 and 1時間 mean completely different things -- "1 o'clock" and "one hour", respectively.

We say something like 「3週連続で」 ("for three consecutive weeks") without a 「間」 as a set phrase, but 「第三週」 means "the third week of a month". Thus, to refer specifically to a period of 3 weeks, we say 「3週間」 virtually every time.

Thus, the sentence:

「私はもう六ヶ月（間）ぐらい日本語を勉強しています。」

= "I have already been studying Japanese for about 6 months."

is correct with or without a 「間」. With it, it sounds slightly more 'formal' or "official", but the difference is not that great.

And the noun phrase:

「ジルと暮らした四ヶ月間（間）」

= "The 4 months that I lived with Jill."

is also correct with or without the 「間」. This is not a sentence. 「ジルと暮らした」 is a relative clause that modifies the 「四ヶ月間」.

  • Thank you so much for the detailed explanation =D I kept thinking that the と in the second example means "and" and not "with" – Babana Moisrure Jan 20 '20 at 03:25