今日

Cantonese

simpl. and trad.
今日

Noun

今日 (Jyutping: gam¹ jat⁶)

1. [formal] today
2. nowadays

Synonyms

• 今天

See also

• (Min Nan) 今仔日 (kin-á-ji̍t)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
今	日

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 此 (ke, “this”) +‎ 日 (hu, “day”). /ke₁hu/: /kepu/ > /keɸu/ > /kewu/ > /keu/ > /kjoː/

The initial /ke/ is an alternative form of the initial /ko/ (此, “this”) seen in words such as ここ (koko, “this place > here”) or これ (kore, “this [nominal] > this”), and the final /hu/ is an apophonic form of 日 (hi, “day”). The final /eu/ > /joː/ sound shift is a separate but regular phonological change.

The use of the kanji 今 (“now”) instead of 此 (“this”) is an example of jukujikun.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kjo.o/, [kjo̞ː]

Noun

今日 (hiragana きょう, romaji kyō, historical hiragana けふ)

1. today
   • 712: Kojiki (poem #102)

     毛毛志紀能 淤富美夜比登波 宇豆良登理 比禮登理加氣弖 麻那婆志良 袁由岐阿閇 爾波須受米 宇受須麻理韋弖 祁布母加母 佐加美豆久良斯 多加比加流 比能美夜比登 許登能 加多理碁登母 許袁婆

   • 905 Kokin Wakashū (poem #20)

     梓弓をして春雨けふ降りぬあすさへ降らば若菜つみてん

Synonyms

• 本日 (ほんじつ, honjitsu)

Etymology 2

From Sinitic 今日. Goon, so likely the original reading of the term as first borrowed from Sinitic.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ko.ɴ.ni.t͡ɕi/, [kõ̞ɴnit͡ɕi], [kõ̞nit͡ɕi]

In faster or more informal speech, the uvular nasal ɴ is not fully pronounced.

Noun

今日 (hiragana こんにち, romaji konnichi)

1. today; this day
2. nowadays

Derived terms

• 今日は (こんにちは, konnichi wa): good day
• 今日様 (こんにちさま, konnichi-sama): poetic honorific for the sun
• 今日的 (こんにちてき, konnichiteki): modern, current

Etymology 3

From Sinitic 今日. Change in reading from konnichi, keeping the earlier goon reading kon for 今, but substituting the later kan'on reading jitsu for 日.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ko.ɴ.ji.t͡su/, [kõ̞nd͡ʑit͡sɯᵝ], [kõ̞nd͡ʑit͡sɯ̥ᵝ]

Noun

今日 (hiragana こんじつ, romaji konjitsu)

1. today; this day
2. nowadays

Coordinate terms

• 一昨々日 (さきおととい, saki ototoi; さきおとつい, saki ototsui; いっさくさくじつ, issaku sakujitsu): three days ago
• 一昨日 (おととい, ototoi): the day before yesterday, two days ago
• 昨日 (きのう, kinō): yesterday
• 明日 (あした, ashita; あす, asu): tomorrow
• 明後日 (あさって, asatte): the day after tomorrow, two days from now
• 明々後日 (しあさって, shiasatte): three days from now
• 弥の明後日 (やのあさって, ya no asatte): three days from now; (dialectical) four days from now
• 今朝 (けさ, kesa): this morning
• 今晩 (こんばん, konban): this evening
• 今夜 (こんや, kon'ya): tonight

References

• 1989 May 18 [905], Noriyuki Kojima; Arai Eizō, Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 5: Kokin Wakashū (in Japanese), Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 4-00-240005-0:
• Yutaka Tsuchihashi, Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 3: Kodai Kayōshū (in Japanese), Iwanami Shoten (1957), ISBN 4-00-060003-6.

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Mandarin

simpl. and trad.
今日

Noun

今日 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin jīnrì)

1. (Intermediate Mandarin) today; now
2. nowadays

Synonyms

• 今天

See also

• (Min Nan) 今仔日 (kin-á-ji̍t)