今
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
now |
| Strokes |
4 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
コン (kon)、キン (kin) |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
いま (ima) |
| Radical |
人 (hito) - U+4EBA |
Stroke Order
The stroke order follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The top horizontal-diagonal stroke (the "hat").
- Stroke 2: The short vertical stroke starting from the center of the first stroke.
- Stroke 3: The horizontal stroke forming the base of the top part.
- Stroke 4: The final sweeping stroke (the "tent" or "legs") that curves down to the right.
Radical Analysis
The main radical is 人 (hito), representing a person. Historically, 今 is a pictograph of a "covering" or a "container." Over time, it evolved to represent the concept of the present moment—the time that is "contained" right here and now.
Mnemonic
Imagine a person (人) standing under a roof. They are checking their watch and saying, "I am here now (いま)." The top part looks like a roof covering the person, keeping them in the present moment.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
コン (kon)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 今日 |
こん・にち |
konnichi |
today / hello |
| 今月 |
こん・げつ |
kongetsu |
this month |
| 今週 |
こん・しゅう |
konshū |
this week |
| 今夜 |
こん・や |
kon'ya |
tonight |
キン (kin)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 今後 |
こん・ご |
kongo |
from now on |
| 今時 |
いま・どき / こん・じ |
imadoki / konji |
nowadays |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
いま (ima)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 今 |
いま |
ima |
now |
| 今にも |
いま・にも |
ima ni mo |
at any moment |
JLPT N5 Words Using 今
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 今 |
いま |
ima |
now |
N5 |
| 今日 |
きょう |
kyō |
today |
N5 |
| 今月 |
こん・げつ |
kongetsu |
this month |
N5 |
| 今週 |
こん・しゅう |
konshū |
this week |
N5 |
| 今夜 |
こん・や |
kon'ya |
tonight |
N5 |
| 今朝 |
けさ |
kesa |
this morning |
N5 |
| 今度 |
こん・ど |
kondo |
next time / this time |
N5 |
| 今まで |
いま・まで |
ima made |
until now |
N5 |
| 今すぐ |
いま・すぐ |
ima sugu |
right away |
N5 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 今、何時ですか。 |
いま、なんじですか。 |
Ima, nanji desu ka? |
What time is it now? |
| 今日はいい天気です。 |
きょうはいいてんきです。 |
Kyō wa ii tenki desu. |
The weather is nice today. |
| 今週は忙しいです。 |
こんしゅうはいそがしいです。 |
Konshū wa isogashii desu. |
I am busy this week. |
| 今夜は映画を見ます。 |
こんやはえいがをみます。 |
Kon'ya wa eiga o mimasu. |
I will watch a movie tonight. |
| 今朝は早く起きました。 |
けさははやくおきました。 |
Kesa wa hayaku okimashita. |
I woke up early this morning. |
| 今度、一緒に食事しましょう。 |
こんど、いっしょにしょくじしましょう。 |
Kondo, issho ni shokuji shimashō. |
Let's eat together next time. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 今 |
いま |
now |
Has a "hat" (top stroke) and a sweeping tail. |
| 令 |
れい |
order/command |
The bottom part is different (マ shape); looks like a person bowing. |
| 含 |
がん |
include |
Has the "mouth" (口) radical on the bottom. |
Usage Frequency Note
今 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in almost every context, from casual conversation (using ima) to formal news reports (using kon-nichi or kongo). It is essential for basic communication regarding time and scheduling.