diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
index cac237d2b67..52fcdb9fa50 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
@@ -4251,17 +4251,20 @@ int32_t Calendar::internalGetMonth(UErrorCode& status) const {
     if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
         return 0;
     }
-    if (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence) == UCAL_MONTH) {
-        return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH, status);
+    if (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence) == UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH) {
+        return internalGet(UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH);
     }
-    return internalGet(UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH, status);
+    return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH);
 }
 
-int32_t Calendar::internalGetMonth(int32_t defaultValue, UErrorCode& /* status */) const {
-    if (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence) == UCAL_MONTH) {
-        return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH, defaultValue);
+int32_t Calendar::internalGetMonth(int32_t defaultValue, UErrorCode& status) const {
+    if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
+        return 0;
     }
-    return internalGet(UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH);
+    if (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence) == UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH) {
+        return internalGet(UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH);
+    }
+    return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH, defaultValue);
 }
 
 BasicTimeZone*
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/chnsecal.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/chnsecal.cpp
index afb16d3e25a..ff031e7727c 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/chnsecal.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/chnsecal.cpp
@@ -1177,10 +1177,14 @@ int32_t ChineseCalendar::internalGetMonth(int32_t defaultValue, UErrorCode& stat
     if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
         return 0;
     }
-    if (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence) == UCAL_MONTH) {
-        return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH, defaultValue);
+    switch (resolveFields(kMonthPrecedence)) {
+        case UCAL_MONTH:
+            return internalGet(UCAL_MONTH);
+        case UCAL_ORDINAL_MONTH:
+            return internalGetMonth(status);
+        default:
+            return defaultValue;
     }
-    return internalGetMonth(status);
 }
 
 ChineseCalendar::Setting ChineseCalendar::getSetting(UErrorCode&) const {