For autodidact students of Japanese, 今 (ima) is "now": the present moment, the time at which one is speaking. 今、行きます (Ima, ikimasu: I'm going now). 今、何時ですか (Ima, nanji desu ka: What time is it now?). It is the plainest and most frequent way to say "now," and the word to reach for first.
Unlike English "now," which is an adverb, 今 is both a noun and an adverb. As an adverb it stands directly before the verb with no particle: 今、雨が降っています (it is raining now). As a noun it takes particles like any other noun: 今は (as for now), 今も (still), 今から (from now), 今まで (until now), 今の (of now, present-day), 今でも (even now).
Japanese has no tense on 今 itself. The verb carries the time: 今行きます is "I'm going now" or "I'll go now," 今行っています is "I am there at the moment." 今 only says that the time in question is the moment of speaking.
Other words English also renders "now" have their own jobs: - 現在 (genzai): the present, "at present." Formal, used in news, notices and writing. - 只今 / ただ今 (tadaima): "right now, just now," more polite than 今; also the greeting on coming home. - たった今 (tatta ima): "only just now," a moment ago. - さっき (sakki): a little while ago. - これから (kore kara): from here on, "from now." - 最近 (saikin) / このごろ (kono goro): these days, lately. A stretch of time around the present.
This lesson teaches 今 and shows where these neighbours take over.
Key Takeaways: - 今 (ima): now, the present moment. A noun that also works as an adverb - 今は / 今も / 今でも / 今から / 今まで / 今の: now (by contrast) / still / even now / from now / until now / of now - 今すぐ (ima sugu): right away, this minute - 今ごろ (imagoro): about this time, "by now" - 今にも〜そうだ (ima nimo ~ sō da): about to, at any moment - 今のうちに (ima no uchi ni): while there is still time - 今 is read ima by itself and kon- (sometimes kin-) in compounds: 今週 (konshū), 今月 (kongetsu), 古今 (kokin) - 現在 (genzai): formal "at present"; 最近 (saikin): "these days"
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今 is a four-stroke kanji, taught in the second year of elementary school in Japan. Its kun reading (native Japanese) is いま (ima), the word of this lesson. Its on readings (Sino-Japanese) are コン (kon) and キン (kin). コン is by far the commoner: 今週 (konshū, this week), 今月 (kongetsu, this month; the ん before g is nasal), 今回 (konkai, this time), 今度 (kondo, this time / next time). キン turns up in a few older compounds, such as 古今 (kokin, "old and new"), as in the 古今和歌集 (Kokin Wakashū), the court poetry anthology of the early tenth century. Three words with 今 are irregular and must be learnt whole: 今日 (kyō, today), 今年 (kotoshi, this year) and 今朝 (kesa, this morning). 今日 also has the reading konnichi, as in the greeting 今日は (konnichi wa).
Character dictionaries class 今 as a 指事 (shiji, "indicative") character and explain it as something wholly covered over or enclosed, which came to mean "the present." Treat that as a memory aid rather than settled history.
In hiragana, いま is also the spelling of 居間 (ima, a living room). Context tells the two apart at once. The compound 只今 is written 只今 or ただ今 or ただいま; in shop and station notices you will most often meet ただ今.
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51.1a 今 now 行きます go-POLITE
51.1b ima (ee-mah) now ikimasu (ee-kee-mahss) go-POLITE
51.2a 今 now 何時 what-o'clock です COP.POLITE か Q
51.2b ima (ee-mah) now nanji (nahn-jee) what-o'clock desu (dess) COP.POLITE ka (kah) Q
51.3a 今 now は TOP 忙しい busy です COP.POLITE
51.3b ima (ee-mah) now wa (wah) TOP isogashii (ee-so-gah-shee) busy desu (dess) COP.POLITE
51.4a 今 now 何 what を OBJ して do-TE います be-POLITE か Q
51.4b ima (ee-mah) now nani (nah-nee) what wo (oh) OBJ shite (shee-teh) do-TE imasu (ee-mahss) be-POLITE ka (kah) Q
51.5a 今 now 雨 rain が SUBJ 降って fall-TE います be-POLITE
51.5b ima (ee-mah) now ame (ah-meh) rain ga (gah) SUBJ futte (foot-teh) fall-TE imasu (ee-mahss) be-POLITE
51.6a 今 now から from 日本語 Japanese だけ only 話します speak-POLITE
51.6b ima (ee-mah) now kara (kah-rah) from nihongo (nee-hohn-go) Japanese dake (dah-keh) only hanashimasu (hah-nah-shee-mahss) speak-POLITE
51.7a 今 now まで until 何 what を OBJ して do-TE いました be-PAST.POLITE か Q
51.7b ima (ee-mah) now made (mah-deh) until nani (nah-nee) what wo (oh) OBJ shite (shee-teh) do-TE imashita (ee-mah-shee-tah) be-PAST.POLITE ka (kah) Q
51.8a 私 I は TOP 今 now 東京 Tokyo に LOC 住んで live-TE います be-POLITE
51.8b watashi (wah-tah-shee) I wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now Tōkyō (toh-kyoh) Tokyo ni (nee) LOC sunde (soon-deh) live-TE imasu (ee-mahss) be-POLITE
51.9a 今 now 考える think-NONPAST と when 私 I が SUBJ 間違って be-wrong-TE いました be-PAST.POLITE
51.9b ima (ee-mah) now kangaeru (kahn-gah-eh-roo) think-NONPAST to (toh) when watashi (wah-tah-shee) I ga (gah) SUBJ machigatte (mah-chee-gaht-teh) be-wrong-TE imashita (ee-mah-shee-tah) be-PAST.POLITE
51.10a 今 now すぐ right-away 病院 hospital に DIR 行かなければ go-NEG-if なりません become-NEG.POLITE
51.10b ima (ee-mah) now sugu (soo-goo) right-away byōin (byoh-een) hospital ni (nee) DIR ikanakereba (ee-kah-nah-keh-reh-bah) go-NEG-if narimasen (nah-ree-mah-sen) become-NEG.POLITE
51.11a 今 now の GEN 瞬間 moment は TOP 二度と never-again 来ません come-NEG.POLITE
51.11b ima (ee-mah) now no (noh) GEN shunkan (shoon-kahn) moment wa (wah) TOP nido to (nee-doh toh) never-again kimasen (kee-mah-sen) come-NEG.POLITE
51.12a 電車 train は TOP 今ごろ about-now 大阪 Osaka に LOC 着いて arrive-TE いる be でしょう probably
51.12b densha (dehn-shah) train wa (wah) TOP imagoro (ee-mah-go-roh) about-now Ōsaka (oh-sah-kah) Osaka ni (nee) LOC tsuite (tsoo-ee-teh) arrive-TE iru (ee-roo) be deshō (deh-shoh) probably
51.13a あの that 人 person は TOP 今 now でも even あの that 家 house に LOC 住んで live-TE います be-POLITE
51.13b ano (ah-noh) that hito (hee-toh) person wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now demo (deh-moh) even ano (ah-noh) that ie (ee-eh) house ni (nee) LOC sunde (soon-deh) live-TE imasu (ee-mahss) be-POLITE
51.14a 十年前 ten-years-ago と and 今 now では in-TOP ずいぶん considerably 違います differ-POLITE
51.14b jūnen mae (joo-nehn mah-eh) ten-years-ago to (toh) and ima (ee-mah) now de wa (deh wah) in-TOP zuibun (zoo-ee-boon) considerably chigaimasu (chee-gah-ee-mahss) differ-POLITE
51.15a さっき a-moment-ago 電話した phone-PAST のに although 今 now は TOP 出ません answer-NEG.POLITE
51.15b sakki (sahk-kee) a-moment-ago denwa shita (dehn-wah shee-tah) phone-PAST noni (noh-nee) although ima (ee-mah) now wa (wah) TOP demasen (deh-mah-sen) answer-NEG.POLITE
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51.1 今、行きます。(Ima, ikimasu.) "I'm going now." 51.2 今、何時ですか。(Ima, nanji desu ka.) "What time is it now?" 51.3 今は忙しいです。(Ima wa isogashii desu.) "I'm busy right now." (implied: at other times, perhaps not) 51.4 今、何をしていますか。(Ima, nani wo shite imasu ka.) "What are you doing now?" 51.5 今、雨が降っています。(Ima, ame ga futte imasu.) "It's raining now." 51.6 今から日本語だけ話します。(Ima kara nihongo dake hanashimasu.) "From now on, I'll speak only Japanese." 51.7 今まで何をしていましたか。(Ima made nani wo shite imashita ka.) "What have you been doing until now?" 51.8 私は今、東京に住んでいます。(Watashi wa ima, Tōkyō ni sunde imasu.) "I live in Tokyo now." 51.9 今考えると、私が間違っていました。(Ima kangaeru to, watashi ga machigatte imashita.) "Thinking about it now, I was wrong." 51.10 今すぐ病院に行かなければなりません。(Ima sugu byōin ni ikanakereba narimasen.) "You must go to the hospital right now." 51.11 今の瞬間は二度と来ません。(Ima no shunkan wa nido to kimasen.) "This moment, now, will never come again." 51.12 電車は今ごろ大阪に着いているでしょう。(Densha wa imagoro Ōsaka ni tsuite iru deshō.) "The train will have reached Osaka by now." 51.13 あの人は今でもあの家に住んでいます。(Ano hito wa ima demo ano ie ni sunde imasu.) "That person still lives in that house, even now." 51.14 十年前と今ではずいぶん違います。(Jūnen mae to ima de wa zuibun chigaimasu.) "Ten years ago and now are very different." 51.15 さっき電話したのに、今は出ません。(Sakki denwa shita noni, ima wa demasen.) "I phoned a moment ago, but now they're not answering."
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51.1 今、行きます。 51.2 今、何時ですか。 51.3 今は忙しいです。 51.4 今、何をしていますか。 51.5 今、雨が降っています。 51.6 今から日本語だけ話します。 51.7 今まで何をしていましたか。 51.8 私は今、東京に住んでいます。 51.9 今考えると、私が間違っていました。 51.10 今すぐ病院に行かなければなりません。 51.11 今の瞬間は二度と来ません。 51.12 電車は今ごろ大阪に着いているでしょう。 51.13 あの人は今でもあの家に住んでいます。 51.14 十年前と今ではずいぶん違います。 51.15 さっき電話したのに、今は出ません。
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These are the grammar rules for 今 (ima), "now."
今 is a noun that also works as an adverb. On its own, before the verb, it is an adverb and needs no particle: 今、行きます (I'm going now). Do not add に to say "at this moment": say 今行きます, not \*今に行きます. As a noun, 今 takes the ordinary particles: - 今 (ima): now - 今は (ima wa): now, as for now (in contrast with other times) - 今も (ima mo): still, even now - 今でも (ima demo): even now, still (stronger than 今も) - 今から (ima kara): from now on - 今まで (ima made): until now, so far - 今の (ima no): of now, present-day (今の日本, present-day Japan) - 今では (ima de wa): as things are now (set against the past, as in 51.14)
Compounds and set phrases built on 今: - 今すぐ (ima sugu): right away, this minute - 今ごろ (imagoro): about this time, "by now." With a guess, it gives "by now surely": 今ごろ着いているでしょう (51.12) - 今にも〜そうだ (ima nimo ~ sō da): "about to ~, at any moment." 今にも雨が降りそうだ (it looks about to rain) - 今のうちに (ima no uchi ni): while there is still time, "while it's still now" - 今になって (ima ni natte): "only now, at this late point." 今になって初めて分かった (only now did I understand) - 今さら (imasara): "at this late stage," usually with a note of too late - 今度 (kondo): this time, or next time, depending on context
今 and the verb's time. 今 goes with the non-past (今行きます), with the progressive 〜ている (今、何をしていますか), and with a present state (今は忙しいです). With a past-tense verb 今 gives "just now," as in narration, but in conversation たった今 or さっき is more usual: たった今着きました (I only just arrived).
今は (topic) sets now against other times. 今、忙しいです simply says "I'm busy now." 今は忙しいです says "right now I'm busy," with the unspoken "but not later," which makes it a polite way to decline. In 51.15, さっき … 今は … sets "a moment ago" against "now."
〜と, "when, whenever." 考えると (51.9): the plain non-past verb plus と gives "when I think of it" (here "thinking about it now"). 今考えると is a fixed way to look back and judge the past.
〜なければなりません, "must." 行かなければなりません (51.10): the negative stem 行かな- + ければ ("if not") + なりません ("it will not do"): "if I do not go, it will not do." It is the standard polite way to say "I must go."
〜ている, "be in the state of." 住んでいます (51.8, 51.13) is a continuing state: "live, reside." With a verb of arrival, 着いている (51.12) is the result state: "has arrived, and is there."
今 and its neighbours: - 今 (ima): the present moment, neutral. 今、雨が降っています (it is raining now). - 現在 (genzai): at present. Formal. 現在の気温は五度です (the present temperature is five degrees). - 只今 / ただ今 (tadaima): right now, polite. ただ今準備中です (we're getting ready at the moment). - たった今 (tatta ima): only just now, with the past tense. たった今出ました (they've only just left). - さっき (sakki): a short while ago. さっき会いました (I met them a moment ago). - これから (kore kara): from here on. これから勉強します (I'm going to study from now). - 最近 (saikin): these days, lately. 最近、忙しいです (I've been busy lately).
Common Mistakes: - \*今に行きます. Do not put に after 今 for "at this moment": 今行きます. (今に by itself is a different adverb: 今に分かります means "you will understand before long.") - Using 今 for today. "Today" is 今日 (kyō), never 今 alone. - Reading 今 as ima in compounds. 今週 is konshū and 今月 is kongetsu, not \imashū or \imatsuki. - Using 今 for "these days." For a habit or trend over weeks and months, say 最近 or このごろ: 最近、運動しています (I've been exercising lately). - Using 今 where 今は is meant. If you are contrasting with another time ("not before, not later"), the は is needed.
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ただいま (tadaima) is the first word of the Japanese homecoming. A person coming through the door says ただいま, and the household answers おかえりなさい (okaerinasai, "welcome back"). The greeting is the front end of 只今帰りました (tadaima kaerimashita, "I have just returned"), and only the 只今 survived. The 只今 is a stronger form of 今, "right now": it can mean the present moment, a moment ago, or "straight away," and you will meet it on shop doors and station boards as ただ今満席です (tadaima manseki desu, "we are full at the moment") or ただ今準備中 (tadaima junbichū, "being prepared at present").
A familiar storyteller's opening is 今は昔 (ima wa mukashi), "now it is long ago." It opens 竹取物語 (Taketori Monogatari, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter): 今は昔、竹取の翁といふものありけり ("Now it is long ago: there was an old man called the bamboo cutter"). It also opens almost every tale in the 今昔物語集 (Konjaku Monogatari-shū, "Tales of Times Now Past"), a collection of the late Heian period whose very title is taken from that formula, 今 and 昔 (now and long ago). The 今 of 今は昔 turns the lesson inside out: a story is told from "now" in order to point at what is already far away.
A phrase from the same word is much younger. 今でしょ！ (Ima deshō!) was the tag line of the teacher 林修 (Hayashi Osamu) in a television advertisement for a cram school: いつやるか。今でしょ！ ("When will you do it? Now, of course!"). It was named one of the four winners of the 2013 ユーキャン新語・流行語大賞 (U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards), and for a time it was used for any call to stop putting something off.
Register: 今 is neutral and suits every level of speech. 現在 (genzai) belongs to formal writing and public announcements; ただ今 (tadaima) is the polite spoken form used by shop staff and announcers. 今、行きます (I'm coming right now) is as elastic as English "on my way": it can be said by someone who has not yet got up.
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額田王 (Nukata no Ōkimi), 《万葉集》巻一・八 — Man'yōshū, Book 1, poem 8 (poem of the year 661)
熟田津に船乗りせむと月待てば潮もかなひぬ今は漕ぎ出でな
The poem is printed here in the standard modern kanji-kana reading. The place name 熟田津 is read にきたつ (Nikitatsu) in the Nara Prefecture Man'yōshū database and にぎたつ (Nigitatsu) in other modern sources. Here it follows the former.
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a 熟田津 Nikitatsu に LOC
F.1b Nikitatsu (nee-kee-tah-tsoo) Nikitatsu ni (nee) LOC
F.2a 船乗り ship-boarding せむ do-INTENT と QUOT
F.2b funanori (foo-nah-noh-ree) ship-boarding semu (seh-moo) do-INTENT to (toh) QUOT
F.3a 月 moon 待てば wait-since
F.3b tsuki (tsoo-kee) moon mateba (mah-teh-bah) wait-since
F.4a 潮 tide も also かなひぬ suit-PERF
F.4b shio (shee-oh) tide mo (moh) also kanahinu (kah-nah-ee-noo) suit-PERF
F.5a 今 now は TOP 漕ぎ出でな row-out-LET'S
F.5b ima (ee-mah) now wa (wah) TOP kogiidena (ko-gee-ee-deh-nah) row-out-LET'S
F-B: Original and Translation
熟田津に船乗りせむと月待てば / 潮もかなひぬ / 今は漕ぎ出でな
"At Nikitatsu, waiting for the moon so that we might board our ships, the tide too has come right. Now let us row out!" (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
熟田津に船乗りせむと月待てば 潮もかなひぬ 今は漕ぎ出でな
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The poem is in the Man'yōshū, Japan's oldest anthology of poetry, in Book 1, where it stands as poem 8 under the name 額田王 (Nukata no Ōkimi). It belongs to the reign of Empress Saimei, and the collection's headnote sets it on the sea voyage of the seventh year of her reign (661), when the fleet put in at the 石湯の行宮 (Ishiyu no kariya, "temporary palace of the stone bath") at Nikitatsu in Iyo, now the area of Matsuyama and the Dōgo hot spring in Ehime. The fleet was on its way to give military help to Baekje in Korea. A note in the collection links the verse with the Empress herself, and readers have long discussed whether she or Nukata no Ōkimi is the speaker; the collection files the poem under Nukata no Ōkimi.
Several features are of the older language. 船乗りせむ (funanori semu) has the old volitional ending む (mu, written here せむ): "so that we may board." 月待てば (tsuki mateba) joins the realis stem 待て to ば: "as we waited for the moon," "because." かなひぬ (kanahinu) is written with the historical kana ひ and read today kanainu: かなふ (kanau, "to suit, to fit") + the perfective ぬ (nu), "has come right." Finally, 漕ぎ出でな (kogiidena) is 漕ぎ出づ (kogiizu, "to row out") + the sentence-final な, which urges the group to act: "let us row out." Grammars analyse this な in more than one way; the sense "let us" is not in dispute.
The line carries the lesson in a single line. The poem is a sequence of conditions: a ship to board, a moon to wait for, a tide that has come right. All of them have been met, and so the poem ends on 今は: "and now." The は is the same contrastive は as in 今は忙しいです: not before, not later, but now. The word that begins the lesson as a plain "now" is, here, the moment of decision. Set it beside the 今は昔 of Section E: there 今 and は look back at what is already far off; here they look forward, at an act that must be done at once.
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Yuki sees rain coming and has to bring the washing in. The narrative uses the plain written style (the dictionary form and the plain past), as Japanese stories do.
51.16a 由紀 Yuki は TOP 空 sky を OBJ 見上げる look-up 今にも at-any-moment 雨 rain が SUBJ 降り fall-STEM そうだ look-like.COP
51.16b Yuki (yoo-kee) Yuki wa (wah) TOP sora (so-rah) sky wo (oh) OBJ miageru (mee-ah-geh-roo) look-up ima nimo (ee-mah nee-moh) at-any-moment ame (ah-meh) rain ga (gah) SUBJ furi (foo-ree) fall-STEM sō da (soh dah) look-like.COP
51.17a 今 now 取り込めば bring-in-if まだ still 間に合う be-in-time
51.17b ima (ee-mah) now torikomeba (toh-ree-koh-meh-bah) bring-in-if mada (mah-dah) still ma ni au (mah nee ah-oo) be-in-time
51.18a 由紀 Yuki は TOP 今 now すぐ right-away ベランダ balcony に LOC 出る go-out
51.18b Yuki (yoo-kee) Yuki wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now sugu (soo-goo) right-away beranda (beh-rahn-dah) balcony ni (nee) LOC deru (deh-roo) go-out
51.19a 風 wind が SUBJ 今 now 急に suddenly 強く strong-ADV なって become-TE きた come-PAST
51.19b kaze (kah-zeh) wind ga (gah) SUBJ ima (ee-mah) now kyū ni (kyoo nee) suddenly tsuyoku (tsoo-yoh-koo) strong-ADV natte (naht-teh) become-TE kita (kee-tah) come-PAST
51.20a 今 now の GEN うち interval に TIME 全部 all 取り込まなきゃ bring-in-must.COLLOQ と QUOT 由紀 Yuki は TOP 呟く mutter
51.20b ima (ee-mah) now no (noh) GEN uchi (oo-chee) interval ni (nee) TIME zenbu (zehn-boo) all torikomanakya (toh-ree-koh-nahk-yah) bring-in-must.COLLOQ to (toh) QUOT Yuki (yoo-kee) Yuki wa (wah) TOP tsubuyaku (tsoo-boo-yah-koo) mutter
51.21a 今 now 手 hand に LOC 持って hold-TE いる be タオル towel を OBJ かご basket に LOC 入れる put-in
51.21b ima (ee-mah) now te (teh) hand ni (nee) LOC motte (moht-teh) hold-TE iru (ee-roo) be taoru (tah-oh-roo) towel wo (oh) OBJ kago (kah-go) basket ni (nee) LOC ireru (ee-reh-roo) put-in
51.22a 最初 first の GEN 一滴 one-drop が SUBJ 今 now ベランダ balcony の GEN 床 floor に LOC 落ちた fall-PAST
51.22b saisho (sah-ee-shoh) first no (noh) GEN itteki (eet-teh-kee) one-drop ga (gah) SUBJ ima (ee-mah) now beranda (beh-rahn-dah) balcony no (noh) GEN yuka (yoo-kah) floor ni (nee) LOC ochita (oh-chee-tah) fall-PAST
51.23a 雨 rain の GEN 音 sound は TOP 今 now だんだん gradually 大きく big-ADV なって become-TE いく go
51.23b ame (ah-meh) rain no (noh) GEN oto (oh-toh) sound wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now dandan (dahn-dahn) gradually ōkiku (oh-kee-koo) big-ADV natte (naht-teh) become-TE iku (ee-koo) go
51.24a 隣 next-door の GEN 田中さん Tanaka-HON が SUBJ 顔 face を OBJ 出す put-out 由紀ちゃん Yuki-DIM 今 now 手伝おう help-VOLITIONAL か Q
51.24b tonari (toh-nah-ree) next-door no (noh) GEN Tanaka-san (tah-nah-kah-sahn) Tanaka-HON ga (gah) SUBJ kao (kah-oh) face wo (oh) OBJ dasu (dah-soo) put-out Yuki-chan (yoo-kee-chahn) Yuki-DIM ima (ee-mah) now tetsudaō (teh-tsoo-dah-oh) help-VOLITIONAL ka (kah) Q
51.25a お願いします please-POLITE 今 now 二人 two-people で BY やれば do-if すぐ soon 終わります end-POLITE ね FP
51.25b onegai shimasu (oh-neh-gah-ee shee-mahss) please-POLITE ima (ee-mah) now futari (foo-tah-ree) two-people de (deh) BY yareba (yah-reh-bah) do-if sugu (soo-goo) soon owarimasu (oh-wah-ree-mahss) end-POLITE ne (neh) FP
51.26a 二人 two-people は TOP 今 now 競争 race の GEN よう manner に ADV 洗濯物 laundry を OBJ 取り込んで bring-in-TE いく go
51.26b futari (foo-tah-ree) two-people wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now kyōsō (kyoh-soh) race no (noh) GEN yō (yoh) manner ni (nee) ADV sentakumono (sehn-tah-koo-moh-noh) laundry wo (oh) OBJ torikonde (toh-ree-kohn-deh) bring-in-TE iku (ee-koo) go
51.27a 最後 last の GEN タオル towel を OBJ 取り終えた finish-taking-PAST 今 now 外 outside は TOP もう already 本降り downpour だ COP
51.27b saigo (sah-ee-go) last no (noh) GEN taoru (tah-oh-roo) towel wo (oh) OBJ torioeta (toh-ree-oh-eh-tah) finish-taking-PAST ima (ee-mah) now soto (soh-toh) outside wa (wah) TOP mō (moh) already honburi (hohn-boo-ree) downpour da (dah) COP
51.28a 今 now 気づいて notice-TE よかった be-good-PAST です COP.POLITE ね FP と QUOT 田中さん Tanaka-HON が SUBJ 笑う laugh
51.28b ima (ee-mah) now kizuite (kee-zoo-ee-teh) notice-TE yokatta (yoh-kaht-tah) be-good-PAST desu (dess) COP.POLITE ne (neh) FP to (toh) QUOT Tanaka-san (tah-nah-kah-sahn) Tanaka-HON ga (gah) SUBJ warau (wah-rah-oo) laugh
51.29a 由紀 Yuki は TOP 今 now に to なって become-TE 初めて for-the-first-time 深く deeply 息 breath を OBJ ついた let-out-PAST
51.29b Yuki (yoo-kee) Yuki wa (wah) TOP ima (ee-mah) now ni (nee) to natte (naht-teh) become-TE hajimete (hah-jee-meh-teh) for-the-first-time fukaku (foo-kah-koo) deeply iki (ee-kee) breath wo (oh) OBJ tsuita (tsoo-ee-tah) let-out-PAST
51.30a 窓 window の GEN 外 outside では LOC-TOP 今 now も also 雨 rain が SUBJ 降り fall-STEM 続けて continue-TE いる be
51.30b mado (mah-doh) window no (noh) GEN soto (soh-toh) outside de wa (deh wah) LOC-TOP ima (ee-mah) now mo (moh) also ame (ah-meh) rain ga (gah) SUBJ furi (foo-ree) fall-STEM tsuzukete (tsoo-zoo-keh-teh) continue-TE iru (ee-roo) be
51.16 由紀は空を見上げる。今にも雨が降りそうだ。(Yuki wa sora wo miageru. Ima nimo ame ga furisō da.) "Yuki looks up at the sky. It looks about to rain at any moment." 51.17 今、取り込めばまだ間に合う。(Ima, torikomeba mada ma ni au.) "If she brings it in now, she will still make it." 51.18 由紀は今すぐベランダに出る。(Yuki wa ima sugu beranda ni deru.) "Yuki goes straight out onto the balcony." 51.19 風が今、急に強くなってきた。(Kaze ga ima, kyū ni tsuyoku natte kita.) "The wind has suddenly grown stronger." 51.20 「今のうちに全部取り込まなきゃ」と由紀は呟く。("Ima no uchi ni zenbu torikomanakya" to Yuki wa tsubuyaku.) "'I have to get it all in while I still can,' Yuki mutters." 51.21 今、手に持っているタオルをかごに入れる。(Ima, te ni motte iru taoru wo kago ni ireru.) "She puts the towel in her hand into the basket." 51.22 最初の一滴が今、ベランダの床に落ちた。(Saisho no itteki ga ima, beranda no yuka ni ochita.) "The first drop has just fallen on the balcony floor." 51.23 雨の音は今、だんだん大きくなっていく。(Ame no oto wa ima, dandan ōkiku natte iku.) "The sound of the rain is getting gradually louder." 51.24 隣の田中さんが顔を出す。「由紀ちゃん、今、手伝おうか」(Tonari no Tanaka-san ga kao wo dasu. "Yuki-chan, ima, tetsudaō ka.") "Tanaka-san from next door puts a head out. 'Yuki, shall I help now?'" 51.25 「お願いします。今、二人でやればすぐ終わりますね」("Onegai shimasu. Ima, futari de yareba sugu owarimasu ne.") "'Yes, please. If we do it together now, it will be over quickly.'" 51.26 二人は今、競争のように洗濯物を取り込んでいく。(Futari wa ima, kyōsō no yō ni sentakumono wo torikonde iku.) "The two of them bring in the washing as if racing." 51.27 最後のタオルを取り終えた今、外はもう本降りだ。(Saigo no taoru wo torioeta ima, soto wa mō honburi da.) "Now that the last towel is in, outside it is already pouring." 51.28 「今、気づいてよかったですね」と田中さんが笑う。("Ima, kizuite yokatta desu ne" to Tanaka-san ga warau.) "'It's lucky we noticed when we did,' Tanaka-san laughs." 51.29 由紀は今になって初めて、深く息をついた。(Yuki wa ima ni natte hajimete, fukaku iki wo tsuita.) "Only now does Yuki let out a deep breath for the first time." 51.30 窓の外では今も雨が降り続けている。(Mado no soto de wa ima mo ame ga furi tsuzukete iru.) "Outside the window the rain is still falling."
51.16 由紀は空を見上げる。今にも雨が降りそうだ。 51.17 今、取り込めばまだ間に合う。 51.18 由紀は今すぐベランダに出る。 51.19 風が今、急に強くなってきた。 51.20 「今のうちに全部取り込まなきゃ」と由紀は呟く。 51.21 今、手に持っているタオルをかごに入れる。 51.22 最初の一滴が今、ベランダの床に落ちた。 51.23 雨の音は今、だんだん大きくなっていく。 51.24 隣の田中さんが顔を出す。「由紀ちゃん、今、手伝おうか」 51.25 「お願いします。今、二人でやればすぐ終わりますね」 51.26 二人は今、競争のように洗濯物を取り込んでいく。 51.27 最後のタオルを取り終えた今、外はもう本降りだ。 51.28 「今、気づいてよかったですね」と田中さんが笑う。 51.29 由紀は今になって初めて、深く息をついた。 51.30 窓の外では今も雨が降り続けている。
今にも〜そうだ, "about to, at any moment" (51.16). 今にも is followed by a stem + そうだ that describes how things look: 降りそうだ (it looks as though it will fall). It is the common way to describe a threatened event, as in 今にも泣きそうだ (about to cry).
〜ば, "if" (51.17, 51.25). The conditional is formed from the realis stem plus ば: 取り込む → 取り込めば, やる → やれば. 今、取り込めばまだ間に合う: "if (I) bring it in now, there is still time." 間に合う (ma ni au, "be in time") returns from Lesson 50.
今のうちに, "while there is still time" (51.20). うち (uchi) here means a span of time during which a state lasts, and 今のうち is "this present span." The に marks the point at which one must act. 全部取り込まなきゃ is a spoken contraction of 全部取り込まなければならない (I must bring it all in), with the ending dropped: 〜なきゃ.
ちゃん and さん (51.24). 由紀ちゃん is Yuki with the affectionate ちゃん, used to children and to younger or close people; 田中さん is the neutral polite さん. Together they suggest a friendly relation between neighbours, with the older speaker using the affectionate form to the younger.
〜ていく and 〜てくる, "go on doing" and "have come to be" (51.19, 51.23, 51.26). The verbs 行く (to go) and 来る (to come) used as helpers after the te-form give direction in time. 大きくなっていく is "keeps growing louder (from now on)"; 強くなってきた (51.19) is "has become stronger (up to now)." The first looks forward from the moment of speaking and the second looks back.
〜終えた今, "now that ~ is done" (51.27). A plain past verb before 今 is a relative clause: 取り終えた今 is "the now in which (she) has finished taking in." The pattern is common in speeches and in writing: 終わった今、言えること (what I can say now that it is over).
今になって初めて, "only now, for the first time" (51.29). 今になって (ima ni natte) "having come to be now" marks a late realisation. With 初めて ("for the first time") it means "only at this late point did …"; with 分かった (understood) it gives 今になって分かった, "I understand only now."
Mixed tenses in narration. Japanese stories freely mix the plain non-past (見上げる, 出る, 呟く) and the plain past (落ちた, ついた) in one passage. The non-past gives the feel of watching the action, the past marks an event that has just completed. English usually has to choose one.
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Japanese has pitch accent, not stress: each word has a pattern of high and low pitch, and the respellings in this lesson give every syllable the same weight. For the pitch pattern of each word, check an accent dictionary such as the NHK 日本語発音アクセント新辞典 as you learn.
今 (ima) — IPA: /i.ma/ — Two morae, [i.ma]. The vowel /i/ is short and clear. Do not say it like English "eema." 今すぐ (ima sugu) — IPA: /i.ma su.ɡɯ/ — The vowel /ɯ/ in すぐ is an unrounded "oo": keep the lips spread, as for "ee," and say "oo." 今ごろ (imagoro) — IPA: /i.ma.ɡo.ɾo/ — The r is a quick tap of the tongue, close to the d of English "ladder." 今まで (ima made) — IPA: /i.ma ma.de/. 今にも (ima nimo) — IPA: /i.ma ni.mo/. 今さら (imasara) — IPA: /i.ma.sa.ɾa/. 今週 (konshū) — IPA: /kon.ɕɯː/ — The mark over ū means a long vowel, two morae of /ɯ/. The ん before a consonant like s is a nasal on its own mora. 今月 (kongetsu) — IPA: /koŋ.ɡe.tsɯ/ — ん before g is [ŋ], as in English "sing." 今日 (kyō) — IPA: /kjoː/ — A long ō, two morae. さっき (sakki) — IPA: /sak.ki/ — The small っ doubles the k: a silent beat, then the k. 東京 (Tōkyō) — IPA: /toː.kjoː/ — Two long vowels. The respelling toh-kyoh. 病院 (byōin) — IPA: /bjoː.iɴ/ — The long ō, then a separate /i/: byoh-een.
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