HanziGuru.今 · jīn
今
jīn[jin1]Tone 1

now

HSK 1
Guru Deep Dive

English · now

Cached lesson
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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:4
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top roof-like lid balanced over the lower part, ensuring the vertical hooks and slants do not lean too far left or right.
1. Meaning

now, the present time

currentcontemporarythis (day, year, etc.)
noun / adverbNeutral#time#present
Sample Usage
  • 你现在做什么？
    nǐ xiànzài zuò shénme?
    What are you doing now?
  • 今天天气很好。
    jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.
    Today the weather is very good.
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕin˥˥]/Tone: 55
今
jīnjin1
++
¯(55)
=jīn
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: soft j / dzh sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the hard palate, releasing gently.
Final Rhyme
in
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with bean
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'een'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high level pitch (55) similar to humming a constant high note in speech.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with jìn (Tone 4, falling, meaning 'enter'). Keep the pitch high and flat.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady musical note held flat at the ceiling of your vocal range, like a singer hitting a high pitch.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 4 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top roof-like lid balanced over the lower part, ensuring the vertical hooks and slants do not lean too far left or right.

4. Components

Radical 人 · human radical (human, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 人 (indicates human presence or action in the moment)

An ancient roof or cover over a person standing right here.

  • 𠆢 roof or top cover
  • 乁 base or turning stroke
5. History
Liushu category: Indicative (指事)

Origin: In Oracle Bone scripts, 今 was originally depicted as a mouth pointing downwards or a covered enclosure pointing down to represent a specific point in time or space right here.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from meaning 'pointing to this place' to 'pointing to this time' (now, present).

  • It is a core foundational character used to build compound time words like 今天 (today) and 今年 (this year).
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キン (kin), コン (kon) / Kun: いま (ima)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
금
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Right NOW (jīn), a person (人) stands under the roof, looking at the clock.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
念
niànto read, thoughtAdd heart (心) at the bottom: thoughts in your heart right now (今).
贪
tāngreedyAdd shell/money (贝) at the bottom: wanting money right now (今).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
令(lìng)
令 has a dot at the top right instead of the slanted stroke of 今.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我[___]天有很多事情要做。
Clue: jīn
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 4 (jìn), or mixing up the top stroke structure with 令.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 今 mean and how is it pronounced in Tone 1?
Production: How do you write the character for 'now' (jīn) with 4 strokes?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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