今晩

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 今晩、何を食べますか。▶ —
   What are you eating tonight?
2. 今晩は寒くなります。▶ —
   It'll get cold tonight.

Collocations

Mnemonic

今晩 konban — 今 + 晩 (evening/after-dusk). The greeting こんばんは (konban wa) is literally this word + topic particle は — a truncated phrase ("[as for] this evening… [how are you]"). 今夜 (kon'ya) is the more literary alternative; 今晩 is everyday. Of the three N5 greetings おはよう / こんにちは / こんばんは, the latter two are both time-of-day nouns.

Quick check

1. Best etymological analysis of こんばんは?

   • 今晩 + は (topic particle) — truncated "[as for] this evening…"
   • A frozen greeting with no analysis
   • A loanword koban + wa
   • 今 + 番 (duty shift)