jīnnián: 今年 - This year

• Keywords: jīnnián, 今年, this year in Chinese, how to say this year in Mandarin, current year Chinese, jinnian meaning, Chinese time words, HSK 1 vocabulary, jinnian vs qunian
• Summary: Learn how to say “this year” in Chinese with the essential term 今年 (jīnnián). This guide breaks down the characters 今 (jīn - now) and 年 (nián - year), explains its cultural significance related to the Chinese zodiac, and provides 10 practical example sentences. Discover how to use 今年 correctly in daily conversation, avoid common mistakes, and master one of the most fundamental time words in Mandarin Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jīnnián
• Part of Speech: Time Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: This year; the current calendar year.
• In a Nutshell: 今年 (jīnnián) is the straightforward and most common way to refer to the current year. Just like “today” (今天 jīntiān) refers to the current day, 今年 refers to the entire block of time from January 1st to December 31st of the year we are currently in. It's a fundamental building block for discussing plans, experiences, and events in relation to time.

• 今 (jīn): This character means “now,” “the present,” or “current.” It's a key component in many time-related words, such as 今天 (jīntiān - today) and 如今 (rújīn - nowadays).
• 年 (nián): This character means “year.” Its ancient form is thought to be a pictogram of a person carrying harvested grain, representing the annual agricultural cycle and the passing of a year.
• When combined, 今 (now) + 年 (year) logically and intuitively means “the current year” or “this year.”

While 今年 (jīnnián) itself is a simple time word, its usage is deeply connected to Chinese cultural concepts of time, particularly the Chinese Zodiac (生肖 - shēngxiào). It's extremely common for people to refer to the year by its zodiac animal. For example, asking “What is this year?” might elicit the answer “今年是龙年” (Jīnnián shì lóng nián - “This year is the Year of the Dragon”). This is much more common than saying the Gregorian calendar number in casual conversation. Furthermore, while 今年 technically follows the Gregorian calendar (January 1st to December 31st), the cultural “feel” of a new beginning is overwhelmingly tied to the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival (春节 - Chūnjié). Westerners often make resolutions on January 1st. In China, while January 1st (元旦 - Yuándàn) is a public holiday, the real sense of renewal, goal-setting, and family gathering happens during the Spring Festival, which falls in late January or February. So, conversations about “this year's” plans often ramp up around that time.

今年 (jīnnián) is used constantly in all contexts, from casual chats to formal business reports. As a time word, its grammatical placement is key: it usually comes at the beginning of a sentence or right after the subject, but almost never at the end (a common mistake for English speakers).

• Making Plans: “我今年打算去旅游。” (Wǒ jīnnián dǎsuàn qù lǚyóu. - I plan to travel this year.)
• Stating Facts: “今年的夏天特别热。” (Jīnnián de xiàtiān tèbié rè. - This summer is especially hot.)
• Business Context: “我们公司今年的业绩很好。” (Wǒmen gōngsī jīnnián de yèjì hěn hǎo. - Our company's performance this year is very good.)
• Social Media: You'll often see posts summarizing personal achievements with tags like #今年总结 (jīnnián zǒngjié - This year's summary).

Its connotation is neutral and its formality depends entirely on the context of the sentence.

• Example 1:
  • 今年你想学什么？
  • Pinyin: Jīnnián nǐ xiǎng xué shénme?
  • English: What do you want to learn this year?
  • Analysis: A very common and natural question to ask a friend about their goals for the current year. Notice the time word 今年 is at the very beginning of the sentence.
• Example 2:
  • 我今年二十岁了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì le.
  • English: I turned twenty this year.
  • Analysis: Here, 今年 is placed after the subject 我 (wǒ) and before the verb phrase. This is the other common position for time words.
• Example 3:
  • 今年的春节是二月十号。
  • Pinyin: Jīnnián de Chūnjié shì èr yuè shí hào.
  • English: This year's Spring Festival is on February 10th.
  • Analysis: The particle 的 (de) is used to show possession, making “今年” function like an adjective modifying “Spring Festival.”
• Example 4:
  • 我们公司今年的销售目标很高。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen gōngsī jīnnián de xiāoshòu mùbiāo hěn gāo.
  • English: Our company's sales target for this year is very high.
  • Analysis: A typical example of using 今年 in a business context.
• Example 5:
  • 他今年夏天大学毕业了。
  • Pinyin: Tā jīnnián xiàtiān dàxué bìyè le.
  • English: He graduated from university this summer.
  • Analysis: This shows how 今年 can be combined with other time words like 夏天 (xiàtiān - summer) for more specificity. The event already happened, but it was within the current year.
• Example 6:
  • 到目前为止，今年一切都很顺利。
  • Pinyin: Dào mùqián wéizhǐ, jīnnián yīqiè dōu hěn shùnlì.
  • English: So far, everything has gone smoothly this year.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates using 今年 to reflect on the portion of the year that has already passed.
• Example 7:
  • 你觉得今年会下雪吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ juéde jīnnián huì xià xuě ma?
  • English: Do you think it will snow this year?
  • Analysis: A simple question about a future possibility within the current year.
• Example 8:
  • 今年的流行色是绿色。
  • Pinyin: Jīnnián de liúxíngsè shì lǜsè.
  • English: This year's popular color is green.
  • Analysis: Used to talk about trends and popular culture within the current year.
• Example 9:
  • 我希望今年能找到一个好工作。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ xīwàng jīnnián néng zhǎodào yī個 hǎo gōngzuò.
  • English: I hope I can find a good job this year.
  • Analysis: Expressing a hope or wish for the remainder of the year.
• Example 10:
  • 和去年相比，今年的经济好多了。
  • Pinyin: Hé qùnián xiāng bǐ, jīnnián de jīngjì hǎo duō le.
  • English: Compared to last year, this year's economy is much better.
  • Analysis: A great sentence structure for comparing the current year with a previous one.

The most common mistake English speakers make with 今年 (and other Chinese time words) is sentence placement. In English, time phrases often go at the end of a sentence (“I will visit Beijing this year”). In Mandarin, this is grammatically incorrect.

• Incorrect: 我要去北京今年。(Wǒ yào qù Běijīng jīnnián.)
  • Reason: This follows English word order. Time words must come before the verb.
• Correct: 今年我要去北京。(Jīnnián wǒ yào qù Běijīng.)
  • Analysis: Placing the time word at the very beginning of the sentence to establish the time frame.
• Correct: 我今年要去北京。(Wǒ jīnnián yào qù Běijīng.)
  • Analysis: Placing the time word directly after the subject. This is also very common and natural.

Remember the rule: Time-When + Subject + Verb + Object or Subject + Time-When + Verb + Object. The “Time-When” part almost never comes last.

• 去年 (qùnián) - Last year. The direct opposite of 今年.
• 明年 (míngnián) - Next year. The logical successor to 今年.
• 今天 (jīntiān) - Today. Shares the character 今 (jīn) and follows the same “current + time unit” logic.
• 前年 (qiánnián) - The year before last.
• 后年 (hòunián) - The year after next.
• 每年 (měinián) - Every year; annually. Used for recurring events.
• 年 (nián) - Year. The base character, also used as a measure word (e.g., 一年, yī nián - one year).
• 年代 (niándài) - A decade or an era, such as the 90s (九十年代 - jiǔshí niándài).
• 春节 (Chūnjié) - The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year. The most important cultural event that marks the “real” start of the year for many.
• 元旦 (Yuándàn) - New Year's Day (January 1st). The official start of the Gregorian calendar year.