Meaning of 今天
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- today
- the present time; now
How to use 今天
今天 is a time word. It usually goes before the verb, either at the start of the sentence or right after the subject. Example: 我今天很忙。(Wǒ jīntiān hěn máng.) I am busy today.
今 (jīn) means "now" or "the present," and 天 (tiān) means "day," so 今天 is simply "the present day." You can see the same pattern in 今年 (jīnnián), "this year."
Common mistake: Learners often put 今天 at the end of the sentence as in English, saying 我很忙今天. Keep it before the verb: 我今天很忙. Also keep both syllables in first tone, jīntiān, and do not drop the tone on 天.
今天 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
今 jīn · modern · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
天 tiān · day · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 今天.
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 夏天 | xiàtiān | summer |
| 春天 | chūntiān | spring (season) |
| 冬天 | dōngtiān | winter |
Questions about 今天
What does 今天 mean?
今天 (jīntiān) means "today; the present time; now" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 今天?
今天 is made of 2 characters: 今 (4 strokes), 天 (4 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 今天 an HSK word?
Yes. 今天 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say today's date in Chinese?
Use 今天 followed by the month and day, for example 今天五月三号。(Jīntiān wǔ yuè sān hào.) Today is May 3rd. In speech the verb 是 (shì) is often left out before a date.
What is the difference between 今天 and 现在?
今天 means today, the whole day. 现在 (xiànzài) means now, this exact moment. Use 今天 for plans or events within the day and 现在 for what is happening right now.