1.
the previous month; the preceding month
The month immediately before a referenced point in time. Used primarily in written, formal, or business contexts.
前月と比べる。
To compare with the previous month.
売上は前月より増えた。
Sales increased compared to the previous month.
前月の請求がまだ届いていないので、確認してもらえますか。
The invoice from the previous month hasn't arrived yet — could you check on it?
Composed of 前 (previous, before) + 月 (month). A formal time reference word common in business, statistics, and official documents.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 前月比: month-over-month comparison
- 前月の実績: the previous month's results
- 前月末: the end of the previous month
- 前月より: compared to the previous month
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 先月: last month — used relative to the present moment, common in everyday speech
- 翌月: the following month — the opposite direction in time
USAGE:
前月 is relative to a referenced point in time (often in reports or narratives), while 先月 means 'last month' relative to now. In a business report about March, 前月 refers to February, regardless of when the report is read.