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Explained in some sources[4] as a possible contraction of 早苗月(sanaezuki, another old name for the month of May). However, the initial sa- element appears in many ancient terms relating to the riceplant,[5] making it more likely that the sa- in satsuki is not a contraction. Some sources[5] thus list satsuki instead as a compound of さ(sa, ancient word relating to rice, here referring to the planting season) + 月(tsuki, “moon; month”).
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as サツキ. When spelled in kanji, the azalea sense may be more often spelled as 皐月.
The term gogatsu is the most common term for the month of May in modern Japanese. The synonyms satsuki and sanaezuki are archaic and may be used in historical or poetic contexts.