今天
jīn tiān
Today
今天 (jīntiān) is the standard and most common way to say "today" in Mandarin Chinese. It's a versatile word used in all contexts, from casual conversations to formal announcements, to refer to the current day.
What does 今天 (jīn tiān) mean?
今天 (jīn tiān) means “today” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “this day.”
When to use it
Neutral and universally applicable. You can combine 今天 with other time words like 早上 (morning), 下午 (afternoon), or 晚上 (evening) to specify parts of the day. For "tomorrow" use 明天 (míngtiān) and for "yesterday" use 昨天 (zuótiān).
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like "JEEN-tee-en." Both syllables, 金 (jīn) and 天 (tiān), are pronounced with a high-level tone.
Other ways to say it
- 今天早上jīn tiān zǎoshangthis morning
- 今天下午jīn tiān xiàwǔthis afternoon
- 今天晚上jīn tiān wǎnshangtonight
Examples
你今天有空吗？
nǐ jīn tiān yǒu kòng ma?
Are you free today?
我们今天去公园吧。
wǒmen jīn tiān qù gōngyuán ba.
Let's go to the park today.
今天天气很好。
jīn tiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.
The weather is very good today.
Pro tip: 今天 can be placed either at the beginning of a sentence or after the subject, and both are grammatically correct and common. For example, "今天我很高兴" and "我今天很高兴" both mean "I am very happy today."
Related phrases
生日 · Birthday
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