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今天
jīn tiān
today
今天天气真好！
The weather is really nice today!
neutral
The current day; the day on which the speaker is speaking.
今天是周末，我们去公园吧。
Today is the weekend; let's go to the park.
今天我要早点睡觉。
I'm going to bed early today.
Used in both spoken and written Chinese to refer to the present day. Can be shortened to '今' in informal contexts, but '今天' is the standard form.
Pro Tip
Distinguish from '现在'
'现在' (now) refers to the current moment in time, while '今天' refers specifically to the current day. For example, '现在几点？' (What time is it now?) vs. '今天几号？' (What's the date today?).
Gold Rule
Use '今天' for the present day
Always use '今天' when referring to the entire current day, regardless of the time of day. It is not limited to daytime hours.
Word Origin
Composed of '今' (now, present) and '天' (day, sky). The compound form dates back to Classical Chinese, where it was used similarly to modern usage.
Usage Notes
In formal writing or official contexts, '今日' may be preferred, but '今天' is universally understood and more commonly used in everyday speech. Avoid using '今' alone in formal settings.
Word Breakdown
今
now, present
root天
day, sky
root汉英词典