今晩
konban[kõ̞mbã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, 'this evening' can be expressed as 今晩 (konban) or 今夜.
Meaning: during the evening of today (adv)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 今晩 | konban | [kõ̞mbã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| 今夜 | kon'ya | [kõ̞ɰ̃ja̠] (narrow) [kõ̞ɲ̟ːa̠] (narrow) |
Both terms refer to the evening of the current day. 今晩 is a common and straightforward term for 'this evening'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 今晩 is composed of 今 (now) and 晩 (evening). The word 今夜 is composed of 今 (now) and 夜 (night).
Which one should you use?
The two forms differ in their nuance: 今晩 (konban) focuses more on the evening period, whereas 今夜 (kon'ya) focuses more on the night period. Consequently, 今夜 is frequently used when referring to events happening late at night or the entirety of the night.
How do you pronounce it?
konban
Did you know?
- The greeting 今晩は (konbanwa) literally translates to 'as for this evening', using the topic marker particle は to set the scene for a conversation.
- While 今晩 (konban) is used for practical plans, 今夜 (kon'ya) is the preferred choice in song lyrics and poetry to evoke a more dramatic or romantic atmosphere.
- The word 今晩 traces its linguistic roots back to Middle Chinese, where it originated as the compound 今晚. Over centuries, the phonetic structure evolved from those ancient sounds into the modern Japanese version used today.
Examples in context
- 今夜は外食だ。I'm dining out this evening.This sentence uses 今夜 to describe dining out.Tatoeba #171112 by bunbuku, translation #243363 by CK
- 今夜電話します。I'll call you up this evening.This sentence uses 今夜 to describe making a phone call.Tatoeba #171062 by small_snow, translation #243209 by CK
- 今晩出発します。I leave this evening.This sentence uses 今晩 to describe a departure.Tatoeba #8599911 by small_snow, translation #2436103 by AlanF_US
- 60 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their plans at a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren今晩、暇ですか？Konban, hima desu ka?Are you free this evening?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、大丈夫ですよ。Hai, daijoubu desu yo.Yes, I am free.
- 蓮 Ren一緒に映画を見ませんか？Issho ni eiga o mimasen ka?Would you like to see a movie together?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。行きましょう！Ii desu ne. Ikimashou!That sounds good. Let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “this evening” translations and entries 今晩, 今夜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 今夜, 今晩, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
