Kyou vs. Honjitsu: which should we use to say “today” in Japanese?

How to say “today” in japanese

Native speakers say “kyou” or “honjitsu” to mean ‘today’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know these two words as they are often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand which to use more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kyou”
• Kyou in kanji
  • Example #1: how to use “kyou”
• Definition and meaning of “honjitsu”
• Honjitsu in kanji
  • Example #2: how to use “honjitsu”
• Kyou vs. Honjitsu: which to use
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kyou”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kyou”.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, this is a noun. In Japanese, however, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. “Kyou” is one of them. It can work almost anywhere in a sentence to say “today” in Japanese. Perhaps, this fact would be a bit weird to Japanese learners, but is not unique to the Japanese language. In English, for example, “today” can work as both a noun and an adverb. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this point, I think.

The meaning of “kyou” is very simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kyou in kanji

The kanji expression of “kyou” consists of the following two characters:

• 今 : a kanji character used to mean ‘now’. This can also work as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘this’. This kanji can also be found in other words like “konshuu” and “kotoshi“.
• 日 : a kanji character used to mean ‘day’. This kanji can also be found in other words like “tanjoubi“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kyou” literally means ‘this day’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is in line with the meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kyou” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “kyou” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to use “kyou”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kubi – 首 (くび) : a noun meaning ‘neck’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In this example, this is used after “kubi” to say what “boku” has become.
• nat – なっ : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “nat” to make its past tense form, “nat ta”.

This is a typical usage of “kyou”. In this example, it works as an adverb to say “today” in Japanese.

Definition and meaning of “honjitsu”

Next, let me explain the definition and meaning of “honjitsu”.

• honjitsu – 本日 (ほんじつ) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb.

The meaning of “honjitsu” is completely the same as that of “kyou”. These two words are, however, not completely the same. “Honjitsu” is considered much more polite than “kyou”. Native speakers, therefore, use “honjitsu” to say ‘today’ very politely in Japanese.

To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Honjitsu in kanji

The kanji expression of “honjitsu” consists of the following two characters:

• 本 : a kanji character sometimes working as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘this’.
• 日 : the same as explained above. This is used to mean ‘day’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “honjitsu” as well literally means ‘this day’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the meaning. “Hon” is widely considered as a polite and formal prefix. This is the reason “honjitsu” is considered much more polite than “kyou”.

Then, let me explain how to use “honjitsu” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to use “honjitsu”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• made – まで : an adverbial particle used to say until when something continues. In the example, this is used after “honjitsu” to say “until today” in Japanese.
• osewa ni narimashita – お世話になりました (おせわになりました) : a Japanese phrase for ‘thank you for everything you have done’, ‘thank you for what you have done’, ‘thank you for taking care of me’, or such.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “boku” has said.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of “honjitsu”. In this example, it works together with the adverbial particle, “made”, to say “until today” politely in Japanese. In Japan, we should try to express our appreciation to our colleagues with polite expressions even just after we got fired.

Kyou vs. Honjitsu: which to use

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “kyou” and “honjitsu” in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Then, which should we use to say “today” in Japanese? You may already know the answer: when we want to say “today” very politely in Japanese, we should use “honjitsu”; when we just want to say “today”, “kyou” is the best option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the two different ways to say “today” in Japanese: “kyou” and “honjitsu”. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘this day’. This kanji concept is completely in line with the meaning. When we just want to say “today” in Japanese, this is the best option.
• honjitsu – 本日 (ほんじつ) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘this day’, too. This is considered much more polite than “kyou”. When we want to say “today” very politely in Japanese, we should use this one.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.