now, the present

About this kanji

The kanji 今 means "now" or "the present." It is commonly used as a noun and can also appear in various compound words. For example, 今週 (こんしゅう) means "this week," 今日 (きょう) translates to "today," and 今月 (こんげつ) means "this month." When you want to emphasize immediacy, you might say 今すぐ (いますぐ), which means "right now." This kanji is quite versatile and appears frequently in everyday conversation, helping you refer to time in a very direct way. Remember, even though it has its unique readings, you will encounter its compounds often in daily life.

Built from

Example sentences

• 今はとても暑いです。

  It is very hot now.

Meanings across languages

English

now, the present

Tiếng Việt

bây giờ, thời gian hiện tại

日本語

今, 現在

한국어

지금

中文

现在

id

sekarang

th

ตอนนี้

es

ahora

fr

maintenant

de

jetzt

pt

agora

Common compounds

• 今週こんしゅうthis week
• 今日きょうtoday
• 今月こんげつthis month
• 今すぐいますぐright now, immediately

Words using this kanji

Related articles

• JLPT N5 Kanji List: All ~100 Characters You Need to Pass

  The JLPT N5 tests around 100 kanji. Here's the full list by theme — numbers, time, people, directions — with the readings each appears with on the exam.