今
Now
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| こん | いま | ^ + ラ |
Meaning: Now
We theoretically have the Egyptian God Ra wearing a hat to help us to remember this kanji. Just think about this God, wearing a silly hat… maybe one of those ones with a propeller. He takes off his hat and wants someone to take it from him right NOW.
He is an incredibly impatient God. That is something you’ll have to remember when thinking about this, because impatient gods want things done right NOW!
Reading: こん
When we need to remember the reading こん, we’ll use the word “Condor.” When Ra gets his hat taken off his head, the servant runs off with it to put it away someplace safe. Suddenly, a Condor swoops down grabbing the hat, tearing it away from the servant. Ra is pissed, and shoots the condor down, burning his hat and the condor.
Imagine the surprise of a condor going for a hat like that, especially a god like Ra’s hat. Must have been really cool for a condor to do that.
Vocabulary
Take a close look at these common words. Some of them match with what you’ve just learned, in terms of on’yomi and kun’yomi. Some of them don’t. You don’t have to take note (yet) of which one does which, but as you go through common words vocab (after this kanji narrative) you’ll learn the most common deviations, so don’t worry about it too much right this instant.
a 今（いま）＝ Now
- Meaning: Same as the kanji
- Reading: The kun’yomi reading of the kanji. You’re probably best learning this one straight up – it comes up often enough that you’ll learn it no matter what, if you give it time.
a 今すぐ（いますぐ）＝ At Once, Right Now
- Combo: 今 (now) + すぐ (soon)
- Meaning: To do something “now soon” is to do something “Right Now” or “At Once.” You don’t know the word すぐ yet, so take a few moments to try to remember its meaning.
- Reading: If you know the kun’yomi reading (from the previous vocab) you can read this word as well.
a 今まで（いままで）＝ Until now
- Combo: 今 (now) + まで (until)
- Meaning: Now until = until now
- Reading: You should know the kun’yomi reading for 今 from the previous two words, and まで is something you’ll have to learn right now (like すぐ). Spend a few moments trying to memorize it. Okay, do you remember what “Right now” is? How about “Until now”?
a 今日（きょう）＝ Today
- Combo: 今 (now) + 日 (day)
- Meaning: The “now day” is what day? It’s “Today.”
- Reading: The reading for these are exceptions that won’t make sense based off anything you’ve learned before. You’ll have to memorize this separately, as a set.
a 今月（こんげつ）＝ This Month
- Combo: 今 (now) + 月 (month)
- Meaning: The “now month” is what month? It’s “This Month.”
- Reading: The reading for this kanji is easier than 今日. It’s the on’yomi readings of the two kanji, put together.