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Japanese frequency list

No. 57 in Japanese

今

"Now" or "the present."

In a sentence

  • 今、私は図書館にいます。

    Now, I am at the library.

    In this sentence, '今' (ima) means 'now,' referring to the present time when the action is occurring.

  • 今は忙しいですから、後で話しましょう。

    Because I am busy now, let's talk later.

    Here, '今' (ima) is used to denote the current moment relative to the speaker's context.

  • 今、何をしていますか?

    What are you doing now?

    '今' (ima) in this usage is asking about the present time's activity, emphasizing immediacy.

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