今晩（こんばん、konbaん）
- tonight

The Japanese word 今晩 （こんばん） means "tonight" or "this evening." It refers to the evening of the current day. It's used to talk about events, plans, or general situations that will occur during the evening hours.

⚫︎ 今晩、映画を見に行きます。 Translation: I will go see a movie tonight. ⚫︎ 今晩は何を食べますか？ Translation: What will you eat tonight? ⚫︎ 今晩はとても寒いです。 Translation: It's very cold tonight.

⚫︎ 今晩 is used to refer to the period of time from late afternoon or early evening until bedtime. ⚫︎ It is a common and versatile word suitable for both formal and informal conversations. ⚫︎ It can be used as a standalone greeting, similar to saying "good evening." ⚫︎ It can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. ⚫︎ You can use [今晩] to talk about plans for [今晩], or events occurring during [今晩].

⚫︎ The word 今晩 is typically written with the kanji 今 (こん, meaning "now") and the kanji 晩 (ばん, meaning "evening"). ⚫︎ The reading is こんばん in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard.

⚫︎ 今夜 (こんや) - This also means "tonight" and is often interchangeable with 今晩. The nuance is very similar.

⚫︎ 今朝 (けさ) - This means "this morning." ⚫︎ 今日 (きょう) - This means "today," which encompasses the entire day, unlike [今晩].

今晩は、家族と夕食を食べます。 ・Translation: Tonight, I will have dinner with my family. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an activity planned for [今晩].

今晩の天気予報は何ですか？ ・Translation: What is the weather forecast for tonight? ・Explanation: This sentence inquires about the weather expected during [今晩].

The word is a combination of 今, meaning "now" or "this," and 晩, meaning "evening." Therefore, it literally means "this evening" or "the evening of now".