Key Facts
- Hangul: 오늘; Revised Romanization: oneul
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Neutral, everyday native word.
Today in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 오늘?
Two syllables: o-neul. Nothing changes inside the word. Because it ends in the consonant ㄹ, it takes the topic particle 은, and the ㄹ links into it: 오늘은 is said o-neu-reun.
Example Sentences with 오늘
오늘 날씨가 좋아요.
Oneul nalssiga joayo
The weather is good today.
오늘 opens the sentence and sets the time frame, then 날씨가 좋아요 gives the weather. No particle follows 오늘 here.
오늘 뭐 해요?
Oneul mwo haeyo
What are you doing today?
A question about plans. 뭐 해요 asks what the listener is doing, and 오늘 narrows the plan to this one day.
오늘은 월요일이에요.
Oneureun woryoirieyo
Today is Monday.
Here 오늘 takes the topic marker 은, so today is what the sentence is about, and 월요일이에요 says it is Monday.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 오늘 아침 | this morning |
| 오늘 저녁 | this evening |
| 오늘 밤 | tonight |
| 오늘 하루 | all day today |
Put 오늘 before a time-of-day word to divide the day: 오늘 아침, 오늘 저녁 and 오늘 밤. 오늘 하루 treats the whole day as one block, as in a day's summary.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 이 아침 for "this morning" / ✗ 오늘에 갔어요
Correct: ✓ 오늘 아침 / ✓ 오늘 갔어요
Why: Korean says "today morning" for this morning. And 오늘, like 내일, works as a time word on its own, so it does not need the time particle 에.
오늘 Compared with Similar Words
Three neighbours stretch or shift the time.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘날 | nowadays | 오늘날 means the present era, as in modern times, not a single day. |
| 요즘 | these days | 요즘 covers the recent weeks or months, used for habits and trends. |
| 내일 | tomorrow | 내일 is the day after 오늘. |
At Work: Making a Lunch Plan
Two colleagues arrange lunch for the current day. The second speaker has a meeting first, so they need a specific time as well as 오늘.
Mina
오늘 점심 같이 먹어요?
Oneul jeomsim gachi meogeoyo?
Shall we have lunch together today?
Jisu
좋아요. 오늘은 회의가 있어요.
Joayo. Oneureun hoeuiga isseoyo.
Sounds good. I have a meeting today.
Mina
그럼 한 시에 만나요.
Geureom han sie mannayo.
Then let’s meet at one.
Jisu
네, 오늘 한 시에 봐요.
Ne, oneul han sie bwayo.
Yes, see you at one today.
오늘 sets the day, while 한 시에 sets the clock time. Notice that 에 attaches to 시, not 오늘. 오늘은 introduces today as the relevant topic; the meeting explains why lunch needs to be later. The ending 요 makes the exchange polite without making 오늘 itself more formal.
Where Will You Hear or See 오늘?
A café board may advertise 오늘의 메뉴, “today’s menu”. The linking particle 의 connects today with the menu: it is the menu for this particular day. 오늘의 추천 means “today’s recommendation”. These are labels, so they can appear without a complete sentence or a polite ending.
A shop notice saying 오늘만 means “today only”. The small particle 만 adds a limit. 오늘까지 means “until today” or “by today”, depending on the activity: a promotion can run through today, while an assignment can be due today. A date or closing time is still needed if you must know the exact cutoff.
In messages, 오늘 뭐 해요? may be the start of an invitation rather than a request for a detailed account of your day. A reply can give just the relevant plan. The word 오늘 identifies the day, but the following verb tells you whether the speaker is asking about work, leisure, or availability.
How Do You Describe Different Parts of Today?
오늘 아침 means “this morning” even when the morning has already passed. 오늘 저녁 can refer to this evening before it begins or while it is happening. 오늘 stays the same; the verb ending carries the past, present, or future meaning. A time word alone does not choose the tense of the sentence.
For a narrower time phrase, 에 can follow the final noun: 오늘 아침에 means “this morning” as the time of an action. This fits the same pattern as the lunch dialogue, where 오늘 한 시에 combines a day with a clock time. The rule against 오늘에 does not ban 에 from every phrase containing 오늘.
오늘 하루 highlights today as a whole day. You may hear it in a reflection on how the day went. By contrast, 오늘 밤 narrows attention to tonight. If you need “nowadays”, choose 오늘날 or 요즘 instead; stretching 오늘 to mean the entire present era would change the message.
Related Words for Locating Today
| Korean | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 어제 | yesterday | Move one day back from today. |
| 내일 | tomorrow | Move one day forward from today. |
| 지금 | now | Name the current moment rather than the whole day. |
| 날짜 | calendar date | Ask which numbered date it is. |
The time expressions lesson teaches this wider set. 오늘 tells a listener which day relative to the conversation; 날짜 identifies a date that can be written on a booking or calendar. For plans that will be read later, adding the actual date helps prevent confusion about which “today” you meant.
Quick Self-Test
- Which is the ordinary phrase for “this morning”: 이 아침 or 오늘 아침?
- In 오늘 한 시에, which word takes 에?
- What does 오늘만 add to a shop offer?
Show answers
- 오늘 아침.
- 시 takes 에 to mark the clock time.
- The offer is limited to today. 만 means “only”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "today" in Korean?
Say 오늘 (oneul), a native word used in every register. Put it at the start of the sentence: 오늘 뭐 해요? means what are you doing today?
Does 오늘 take 에?
No. 오늘 works as a time word on its own, so say 오늘 갔어요, not 오늘에 갔어요. It can take 은 for contrast: 오늘은.
How do I say "this morning"?
Say 오늘 아침, literally today morning. 이 아침 is a word-for-word translation that Koreans do not normally use for this.
What is the difference between 오늘 and 오늘날?
오늘 is this one day. 오늘날 means nowadays, the present era, and appears mostly in writing and speeches.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: time expressions word list. 오늘 sits there beside the other day, week and year words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the tomorrow page. 내일 is the next day and follows the same no-에 pattern.