今 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its heart, 今 means "now" or "the present moment." On its own it's the word いま, "now." As a building block it combines with other time words to mean "this ___" — this month, this week, this year — pointing to whichever stretch of time we're in right now. So 今 + 月 (month) = 今月 "this month," and 今 + 週 (week) = 今週 "this week." Once you see that 今 = "this current one," a whole family of everyday time words opens up at once.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | いま | 今 (now) |
| on'yomi | コン | 今月 (this month), 今週 (this week), 今度 (next time) |
| on'yomi | キン | 今上 (きんじょう, the present emperor) — rare |
Here's a rule of thumb that works for most kanji: the kun'yomi (いま) shows up when the kanji stands alone, while the on'yomi (コン) appears inside two-kanji compounds. So 今 by itself is いま, but 今月 and 今週 switch to コン. The catch with 今 is that a handful of its most common words break this pattern entirely — see the next paragraph.
The famous irregulars. Three everyday 今-words don't use either reading in a regular way, so just memorize them as whole words: 今日 = きょう ("today"), 今年 = ことし ("this year"), and 今朝 = けさ ("this morning"). These are jukujikun — readings assigned to the whole compound rather than built from each kanji. They're so common that you'll lock them in quickly with practice.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 4, written top to bottom — the wide "roof" 𠆢 across the top first, then the short stroke and the final horizontal line tucked underneath.
- Radical: 今 is classified under the 人 (person) radical, which forms that roof-like 𠆢 shape at the top. Keep the roof broad and centered, and the two small strokes beneath it neat, and the character balances nicely.
Because 今 has only 4 strokes, it's quick to write — a good one to practice until it feels automatic, since you'll use it constantly.
Common words using 今
Notice the split in action: 今 alone is いま, the compounds 今月 and 今週 take the on'yomi コン, and the three irregulars (今日, 今年, 今朝) go their own way. Learning which is which is most of the battle with this kanji.
Example sentences
今、ヤッタンは日本語を勉強しています。
いま、ヤッタンは にほんごを べんきょうしています。
Right now, Yattan is studying Japanese.
今 standing alone — the kun'yomi いま reading.
モチは「今日は今月で一番いい天気だね」と言いました。
モチは「きょうは こんげつで いちばん いい てんきだね」と いいました。
Mochi said, Today is the nicest weather this month.
Two readings together: 今日 (きょう, irregular) and 今月 (こんげつ, コん compound).
弟は今朝、今年はじめてプールに行きました。
おとうとは けさ、ことし はじめて プールに いきました。
My little brother went to the pool for the first time this year, this morning.
Two irregulars side by side: 今朝 (けさ) and 今年 (ことし).
Quick recap
- 今 = now / the present; just 4 strokes; classified under the 人 (person) radical.
- いま when it stands alone; コン in compounds like 今月 (こんげつ) and 今週 (こんしゅう).
- Memorize the three irregulars as whole words: 今日 = きょう, 今年 = ことし, 今朝 = けさ.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 今 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 今 by itself?
On its own, 今 is read いま and means 'now.' For example, 今、行きます (いま、いきます) means 'I'm going now.'
Why is 今日 read きょう and not こんにち?
今日 is a jukujikun — an irregular reading assigned to the whole word rather than built from each kanji. As an everyday word it's きょう ('today'). The reading こんにち does exist but mainly in the greeting 今日は (こんにちは).
When does 今 use the on'yomi コン?
コン appears in two-kanji compounds such as 今月 (こんげつ, 'this month'), 今週 (こんしゅう, 'this week'), and 今度 (こんど, 'next time').
How many strokes does 今 have?
今 has just 4 strokes and is classified under the 人 (person) radical, which forms the wide roof shape across the top.