오늘(o-neul, oneul)
The current day including the present moment; today
When to use
current date, today's schedule, today's weather
The nuance
Use 오늘 to refer to the current date including the present time; it never indicates past or future days.
오늘 vs 어제 vs 내일: Mastering Time Expressions
오늘 (o-neul, oneul) · 어제 (eo-je, eoje) · 내일 (nae-il, naeil)
오늘 (oneul), 어제 (eoje), and 내일 (naeil) represent today, yesterday, and tomorrow respectively, and must be used precisely according to time context.
Word-by-word breakdown
One lane per word — no nested boxes, just the gist.
어제(eo-je, eoje)
The day before today; yesterday
When to use
past events, yesterday's experience, yesterday's date
The nuance
Use 어제 to indicate the day before today, referring to past events or experiences; never confuse with 오늘 or 내일.
내일(nae-il, naeil)
The day after today; tomorrow
When to use
future schedule, tomorrow's appointment, tomorrow's plan
The nuance
Use 내일 to refer to the day after today, especially for future plans or scheduled events; do not confuse with past or present.
Real-world examples
오늘 날씨가 정말 좋네요.
o-neul nal-ssi-ga jeong-mal joh-ne-yo., o neul nal ssi ga jeong mal joh ne yo.
오늘 refers to the current date, so it's correct for today's weather.
어제 날씨가 정말 좋네요.
eo-je nal-ssi-ga jeong-mal joh-ne-yo., eo je nal ssi ga jeong mal joh ne yo.
어제 indicates past date, so it's correct for yesterday's weather.
내일 날씨가 정말 좋네요.
nae-il nal-ssi-ga jeong-mal joh-ne-yo., nae il nal ssi ga jeong mal joh ne yo.
내일 refers to the future date, so it's correct for tomorrow's weather.
어제는 지금 이 순간을 말해요.
eo-je-neun ji-geum i sun-gan-eul mal-hae-yo., eo je neun ji geum i sun gan eul mal hae yo.
어제 means past, so it cannot mean 'the present moment'; use 오늘 instead.
내일은 어제보다 먼저입니다.
nae-il-eun eo-je-bo-da meon-jeo-ip-ni-da., nae il eun eo je bo da meon jeo ip ni da.
내일 is future and 어제 is past, so tomorrow cannot be before yesterday.
오늘은 내일보다 늦었어요.
o-neul-eun nae-il-bo-da neuj-eoss-eo-yo., o neul eun nae il bo da neuj eoss eo yo.
오늘 is present and 내일 is future, so today cannot be later than tomorrow.
어제 회의는 오늘 취소되었습니다.
eo-je hoe-ui-neun o-neul chwi-so-doe-eoss-seup-ni-da., eo je hoe ui neun o neul chwi so doe eoss seup ni da.
어제 refers to past meeting, 오늘 to current cancellation; time order is correct.
내일 시험이 어제 끝났어요.
nae-il si-heom-i eo-je kkeut-nass-eo-yo., nae il si heom i eo je kkeut nass eo yo.
내일 is future, so an exam scheduled for tomorrow cannot have ended yesterday.
Quick quiz
When should you use 오늘?
오늘을 사용해야 하는 상황은?(o-neul-eulsa-yong-hae-yaha-neunsang-hwang-eun?, oneuleulsayonghaeyahaneunsanghwangeun?)Which sentence does NOT correspond to 어제?
어제에 해당하지 않는 문장은?(eo-je-ehae-dang-ha-jian-neunmun-jang-eun?, eojeehaedanghajianneunmunjangeun?)Which sentence correctly uses 내일?
내일을 올바르게 사용한 문장은?(nae-il-eulol-ba-reu-gesa-yong-hanmun-jang-eun?, naeileulolbareugesayonghanmunjangeun?)
What does it mean?
More comparisons to explore
- 오늘 vs 어제 vs 내일: Mastering Time Expressions
- 오늘 vs 내일: Mastering Time Expressions
- 어제 vs 그저께: Mastering Time Expressions
- 어제 vs 모레: Clearly Distinguishing Time Expressions
- 내일 vs 모레: When to Use Each?
- 입국하다 vs 입국되다: Active vs Passive Nuance
- 크게 vs 조금 vs 살짝: Comparing Degree Expressions
- 원하다 vs 거부하다: Distinguishing Wanting from Rejecting