How to Write 今 (jīn) — Meaning “Now or today”

Picture a person (人) standing at a dot on a timeline, with a curved line showing the present moment. The dot is the current point, and the line is the flow of time, so '今' means now. This simple image links the shape directly to the concept of 'today'.

Make sure the top 人 is not too wide; keep the left and right strokes balanced and narrow. The dot below must be centered and close to the 人, and the final curved stroke should start from the dot’s left and curve downward to the right, not too flat. A common mistake is making the curved line too long or writing it as a separate hook.

今 is a complete character meaning 'now', while 人 is the standalone character for 'person'. 亻 is a radical form of 人 used only on the left side of other characters, like in 你. Visually, 今 has extra strokes (a dot and a curved line) below the 人, making it distinct and never interchangeable with 人 or 亻.

今 is mainly used in time words like 今天 (today), 今年 (this year), and 今晚 (tonight). It appears in formal or written contexts, such as news or announcements, to refer to the present time. Culturally, 今 also appears in idioms and classical phrases, emphasizing the importance of the current moment.

Common words containing 今 include: 今天 (jīn tiān) — Today; 今年 (jīn nián) — This year.; 今晚 (jīn wǎn) — Tonight..