<p>In mainland China, we say 今天 mostly. I have never heard of 本日 personally. 今日 should only be used in a formal setting like a newspaper or a TV program.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:10:42.047Z
This answer only applies to mainland China. I am not sure what words do Singaporean and Taiwanese use.
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-21T14:22:59.683Z
今日(小马词典，爱词霸词典：today） by itself weird？ it is even in IME editor, also cf. DW news: 广东省纪委原副书记被双开, 今日中国再传出高官落马的消息。
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-21T20:59:48.057Z
Well, you are right. It sounds perfectly fine if it is from a tv news program or on a newspaper.
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-21T21:57:56.127Z
＂昨日＂也是如此,  same applies to 昨日
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:08:16.513Z
2015-07-21T21:01:09.320Z
2015-07-21T21:01:09.320Z
Zack
<p>"今天" we use this most often, and when you put it with "晚上" you can say "今晚" which means this evening.
"今日" is more used in written Chinese and you can see this in newspaper, Tv programs. For example many TV channels in China have programs like "今日新闻"“今日热点”.
As to "本日", I rarely hear this. But we use “本” on formal occasions sometimes, for example “本公司” “本人”"本店" which refers to "our company""myself"“our store”. Hope this can be of some help.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-20T00:13:45.900Z
2015-07-20T00:13:45.900Z
speakupchinese.com
<p>今日:
Tends to be poetically used rather than day-to-day. It is still used, but usually in literature such as poetry, set phrases rather than on its own (like 今日晚间), or written documents and names (such as 今日新闻). It's used, but it's really not the most common choice of word for people on the mainland.</p>

<p>今天:
The most common; used in regular speech in modern Mandarin.</p>

<p>本日:
I've only ever seen this used in Japanese, actually. 本日 is pronounced ほんじつ (honjitsu) in Japanese, and is a formal word for "today", but it's never used in casual speech, only formal occasions such as in business. After a google search, it seems to be used in Chinese sparingly, and matches the pattern of 本年，本月，本日, but I've never seen it used in Chinese before today, only Japanese.</p>

<p>So, in reality I'd say there are only 2 that are actually used, and even of these, 今天 is the only one you really need to be using unless you have a reason not to.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-19T20:51:06.977Z
2015-07-19T20:51:06.977Z
sqrtbottle
<p>今朝 is another way to say today. Nowadays it's only used in local dialects. But this poem is very famous: 今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日愁.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-27T10:36:29.117Z
2015-07-27T10:36:29.117Z
jf328
<p>3 is not many! Can only think of 2 for yesterday and tomorrow! Maybe you know these songs.</p>

<p>昨天/昨儿个，我的所有困难好像都不在了。</p>

<p>明天/明儿个 你是否仍将爱我？</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-21T08:32:46.253Z
No, I don't Know those songs, and I don't manage ti find them on the net. Could you please privide a link to their lyrics? Thanks!
Starnuto di topo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-14T19:32:25.443Z
May I suggest another: 今天/今儿个 是那一个 要把一切都向你扔回去的日子
河南宝宝
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T00:41:34.477Z
2015-07-18T00:41:34.477Z
Pedroski
<p>Basically, 本(more formal)、今 has the same meaning - this, and 日(more formal)、天 has the same meaning - day, and the first one is more formal.</p>
<p>You can put them together in the three ways you mentioned, but I never heard anyone use 本天 because it's probably a combination of formal and informal, so it sounds weird.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-25T13:11:00.220Z
2024-10-25T13:11:00.220Z
知識日常 Know Scratcher
<p>I've seen "today" translated in several ways: "今日", "今天", "本日".</p>

<p>Are they all official words?
What's the difference among them? Are those words more or less interchangeable in common language?
Are there any other expressions?
Are there so many ways to indicate "yesterday" and "tomorrow"?
Can you provide examples?</p>

<p>A similar question (and useful answers) have already been provided at <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/10932/11269">&quot;Today&quot; in Spoken Singaporean Mandarin</a>.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-17T22:54:25.740Z
现代汉语分类词典  ISBN 9787100088688 might help
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T15:28:30.620Z
近义词典 http://www.diyifanwen.com/jinyici/
今天：今天不日  (? combining 今天 with 不日)
明天：明天将来 （also see iciba）
昨天：在词典中查找不到与您输入文字相关的任何记录

besides 明儿，昨儿 （cf。below）今儿 also exists (dialect)
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-21T14:02:19.160Z
今天: today / 今日: nowadays / 本日: this day. No source, that's just how I feel about them.
Enrico Brasil
<vocabulary><usage><difference>
Many ways to say Today
# Many ways to say Today

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-17)

I've seen "today" translated in several ways: "今日", "今天", "本日".

Are they all official words?
What's the difference among them? Are those words more or less interchangeable in common language?
Are there any other expressions?
Are there so many ways to indicate "yesterday" and "tomorrow"?
Can you provide examples?

A similar question (and useful answers) have already been provided at ["Today" in Spoken Singaporean Mandarin](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/10932/11269).

Thanks!

**Tags:** vocabulary, usage, difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 现代汉语分类词典  ISBN 9787100088688 might help  
> **username_1**: 近义词典 http://www.diyifanwen.com/jinyici/ 今天：今天不日  (? combining 今天 with 不日) 明天：明天将来 （also see iciba） 昨天：在词典中查找不到与您输入文字相关的任何记录  besides 明儿，昨儿 （cf。below）今儿 also exists (dialect)  
> **username_2**: 今天: today / 今日: nowadays / 本日: this day. No source, that's just how I feel about them.  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-07-18. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

In mainland China, we say 今天 mostly. I have never heard of 本日 personally. 今日 should only be used in a formal setting like a newspaper or a TV program.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: This answer only applies to mainland China. I am not sure what words do Singaporean and Taiwanese use.  
> **username_1**: 今日(小马词典，爱词霸词典：today） by itself weird？ it is even in IME editor, also cf. DW news: 广东省纪委原副书记被双开, 今日中国再传出高官落马的消息。  
> **username_3**: Well, you are right. It sounds perfectly fine if it is from a tv news program or on a newspaper.  
> **username_1**: ＂昨日＂也是如此,  same applies to 昨日  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-07-20. Score: 2

"今天" we use this most often, and when you put it with "晚上" you can say "今晚" which means this evening.
"今日" is more used in written Chinese and you can see this in newspaper, Tv programs. For example many TV channels in China have programs like "今日新闻"“今日热点”.
As to "本日", I rarely hear this. But we use “本” on formal occasions sometimes, for example “本公司” “本人”"本店" which refers to "our company""myself"“our store”. Hope this can be of some help.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-07-19. Score: 2

今日:
Tends to be poetically used rather than day-to-day. It is still used, but usually in literature such as poetry, set phrases rather than on its own (like 今日晚间), or written documents and names (such as 今日新闻). It's used, but it's really not the most common choice of word for people on the mainland.

今天:
The most common; used in regular speech in modern Mandarin.

本日:
I've only ever seen this used in Japanese, actually. 本日 is pronounced ほんじつ (honjitsu) in Japanese, and is a formal word for "today", but it's never used in casual speech, only formal occasions such as in business. After a google search, it seems to be used in Chinese sparingly, and matches the pattern of 本年，本月，本日, but I've never seen it used in Chinese before today, only Japanese.

So, in reality I'd say there are only 2 that are actually used, and even of these, 今天 is the only one you really need to be using unless you have a reason not to.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2015-07-27. Score: 1

今朝 is another way to say today. Nowadays it's only used in local dialects. But this poem is very famous: 今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日愁.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2015-07-18. Score: 1

3 is not many! Can only think of 2 for yesterday and tomorrow! Maybe you know these songs.

昨天/昨儿个，我的所有困难好像都不在了。

明天/明儿个 你是否仍将爱我？

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: No, I don't Know those songs, and I don't manage ti find them on the net. Could you please privide a link to their lyrics? Thanks!  
> **username_8**: May I suggest another: 今天/今儿个 是那一个 要把一切都向你扔回去的日子  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2024-10-25. Score: 1

Basically, 本(more formal)、今 has the same meaning - this, and 日(more formal)、天 has the same meaning - day, and the first one is more formal.

You can put them together in the three ways you mentioned, but I never heard anyone use 本天 because it's probably a combination of formal and informal, so it sounds weird.


---

