How to Say "Tonight" in Chinese

今晚

jīnwǎn

In Chinese, tonight is expressed as 今晚 (jīnwǎn).

今晚 is used as an adverb to mean during today's evening. It can also function as a noun referring to the nighttime of the current day.

Meaning: during today's evening (adv)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of 今 (jīn), meaning 'now' or 'this' and 晚 (wǎn), meaning 'evening'.

While 今晚 (jīnwǎn) is a common contraction, 今天晚上 (jīntiān wǎnshàng) is a more explicit, slightly more formal way to say 'tonight' or 'this evening'.

As a time adverb, 今晚 can be placed either before or after the subject of the sentence.

jīnwǎn

If you are staying up late tonight, a common slang term is 熬夜 (áoyè), which literally translates to 'boiling the night'.
In formal written Chinese, one might encounter 今夕 (jīnxī) instead of 今晚, a more elegant way to say 'this very night' often found in classical poetry.
The prefix 今 (jīn) is a versatile tool for time, acting as 'this' or 'current' in many words, including 'this year' or 'this month'.

今晚谁上班？
Who's working tonight?
This sentence shows how to ask about someone's work schedule using 今晚.
Tatoeba #427960 by GlossaMatik, translation #427959 by CM
今晚有空嗎？
Are you available tonight?
This sentence is useful for asking about availability using 今晚.
Tatoeba #1205888 by cienias, translation #1211456 by alec
我今晚见她。
I'll see her tonight.
This sentence demonstrates using 今晚 to describe a planned meeting.
Tatoeba #5685923 by verdastelo9604, translation #3910266 by CH
你今晚要做什么？
What are you doing tonight?
我们今天晚上一起吃饭吧！
Let's have dinner together tonight!
121 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing their dinner plans over the phone.

Sources

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