now
Came from Chinese. It usually shows up when the kanji is joined to another, forming a compound word.
It is Japanese. It usually shows up when the kanji stands alone or is followed by hiragana.
The order matters: it is what makes handwriting come out legible, and it is how dictionaries index the character.
Visual decomposition, for recognising and comparing — not always the character's origin.
Where it appears is highlighted — the translation doesn't always make that visible.
今年は敬老の日と秋分の日が近いのよ。最初のほうは、おばあちゃんみたいなお年寄りに感謝する日なの。
Kotoshi wa Keirou no Hi to Shuubun no Hi ga chikai no yo. Saisho no hou wa, obaachan mitai na otoshiyori ni kansha suru hi na no.
This year, Keiro no Hi and the autumn equinox holiday landed close together. The first one is about showing respect for our elders, like Grandma.
今日も寒いですね。
Kyou mo samui desu ne.
It's cold today too, isn't it?
はい、五つお願いします!今回は予算もちゃんとわかってます、千円です。
Hai, itsutsu onegaishimasu! Konkai wa yosan mo chanto wakattemasu, sen'en desu.
Yes, five, please! And this time I already know the budget: a thousand yen.
今度は、丁寧な言葉とカジュアルな言葉を、もっと教えますよ。
Kondo wa, teinei na kotoba to kajuaru na kotoba o, motto oshiemasu yo.
Next time, I'll teach you more formal and casual phrases.
だから、今朝、家で作りました。
Dakara, kesa, ie de tsukurimashita.
So she made one at home this morning.
今週は、ずっと寒いですね。
Konshuu wa, zutto samui desu ne.
This week has been cold the whole time, hasn't it?
ルーカス、今何時だ?
Rūkasu, ima nanji da?
Lucas, what time is it right now?
いいね。これで今夜の晩ご飯は大丈夫そう。
Ii ne. Kore de kon'ya no bangohan wa daijoubu sou.
Good. I think that covers dinner tonight.
もしもし、お母さん?今週末、みんなでお父さんのお墓で会うのはどう?
Moshi moshi, okaasan? Konshuumatsu, minna de otousan no ohaka de au no wa dou?
Hi, Mom? What if we all met at Dad's grave this weekend?
Readings and meanings: KANJIDIC2 · Decomposition: KRADFILE · Both from Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0 · data from 2026-10-22 · Strokes: KanjiVG, Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0