Meaning and Usage
"今日" (きょう) means "today" or "this day" and is used to refer to the current day in everyday conversation. It is a very common word and appears frequently in both spoken and written Japanese.
Common Contexts
You will often hear "今日" when talking about plans, weather, or events happening on the same day. For example, "今日の天気" (today's weather) or "今日、学校に行きます" (I will go to school today).
Collocations and Patterns
- 今日の + noun: to specify something related to today (e.g., 今日のニュース - today's news)
- 今日から + verb: to indicate something starting from today (e.g., 今日から勉強を始める - start studying from today)
- 今日も + verb: to express "today also" or "again today" (e.g., 今日も忙しい - busy today as well)
Register and Politeness
"今日" is neutral and can be used in both casual and formal contexts without issue.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "今日" (きょう) with "こんにち" or "こんにちわ" which are used in greetings like "こんにちは". Remember that "今日" specifically means "today" and is not used as a greeting by itself.