Writing
现在 (xiànzài) — how to say "now" in Chinese
现在
Now
noun
Character composition
现
now; to appear
在
to be at/in
Radicals / Keys
土
Earth
#32 · tǔ · 3 strokes
玉
Jade
#96 · yù · 5 strokes
Collocations
现在几点
xiànzài jǐ diǎn
what time is it now
到现在
dào xiànzài
until now
Examples
现在我在家看电视，我很高兴。
Now I watch TV at home, I am very happy.
现在我在家
Now I am at home.
Mnemonic
[xiànzài-] Xan the Zebra 🦓 gallops into the scene with a banner showing the character 现在. She shouts, "现在 I am here and ready for the adventure!", appearing mysteriously from a cloud of dust. Everyone cheers as she exemplifies living in the "now".
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "now" in Chinese?
"now" in Chinese is 现在 (xiànzài).
现在 meaning in English
现在 (xiànzài) means "Now".
Now in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced xiànzài (written as xianzai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "now" in Chinese characters?
It is written 现在: 现 has 8 strokes, 在 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 现在?
现在 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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