Saturday 23 April 2016

word choice - Difference between こんにち and きょう


My dictionary says 今日{きょう} is a special reading. My textbook presents it in the third lesson, so I'm guessing it's a normal pronunciation. So... what's the difference between 今日{こんにち} and 今日{きょう}?



Answer



Both means today, but the meaning depends on the pronunciation.


きょう refers to the day after yesterday, the day before tomorrow.



今日【きょう】は雨【あめ】が降【ふ】っています。 It's raining today.




こんにち means present age, nowadays, or these days.



今日【こんにち】の若者【わかもの】は新聞【しんぶん】を読【よ】まない。 Young people of today do not read newspapers.



This difference is rather strict; basically you can't expect they're interchangeable. I recommend that you memorize how to use きょう first, because こんにち is less common.


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