The character 今 — “present”: how to write it and what it means
present, current
The Chinese character 今 is read jīn and means “present, current”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 今
今 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 今, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 今
- 今年this yearHSK 1
- 今天todayHSK 1
- 今后from now on, in the futureHSK 4
- 今日today (lit.)HSK 5
- 至今until now, to this dayHSK 5
- 如今nowadays, nowHSK 5
- 当今nowadays, at presentHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 今?
今 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 今 mean?
今 means “present, current”. It appears in 今年 (“this year”), 今天 (“today”), 今后 (“from now on”), 今日 (“today”).
How do you pronounce 今?
今 is read jīn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 今 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 今 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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