先々月
せんせんげつ · sensengetsu · JLPT N2 · noun
stopping point
📅 先 (before) + 々 (repeat mark) + 月 (month) = before, before month
先月 means last month. The repeat mark 々 doubles 先, so 先々月 steps one month further back: the month before last.
先 — 𠂉 (person variant) on top + 儿 (legs) below
先 originally depicted a person with a foot or step shown above the legs 儿, suggesting someone walking ahead. From this image of going before others came the meanings 'first,' 'earlier,' and 'ahead.' The modern shape preserves the 'legs' radical underneath.
月 — pictograph of crescent moon
月 is a pictograph of a crescent moon, chosen over a full circle to distinguish it from 日 (sun). The inner strokes originally depicted the moon's shadow or markings. As a radical it often relates to the moon, time, or (via a lookalike form of 肉 'flesh') body parts.