As it says on the tin, I’m thinking of recommending 本日 (ほんじつ today) as a vocab item. I see it often enough on signage in the inaka where I live and a google search gives about 500 mil hits.
The main thing that gives me pause is wondering if it’s used in other areas or if it’s pretty much an archaic/inaka thing.
Thoughts?
The main point of vocab on WaniKani is to teach or reinforce readings. Those readings for 本 and 日 are already used in several vocab items, so I don’t see a reason to add 本日.
I see it a whole bunch where I am (slightly inaka but not suuuper), and I hear it on announcements a lot. I’d say it’s a good vocab word for people
While I agree it is a very common word that I also see daily, as sean said there are already a lot of other words used to teach those readings. I have to agree with them as if we kept adding all of the more common words it would become overwhelming.
I swear, every single time I see it, I keep reading it as 日本. Including this time.
I was gonna say “Isn’t that already a vocab item?”
Someone on another thread said the same thing a little while ago, so I thought that might be a good reason too.
If this is the logic for all of WK, what is the point of having both 変事 and 事変? I’m sure there are more words like this too, but their meanings are leeches for me, so they’re easy examples.
time for me to actually pay attention to those announcements
I’m afraid it would have quickly become one of my leeches, though probably not anymore since I think I’ve already burned 日本.
I think it’s probably done to get you to learn to carefully read the items before answering, as with these items in particular, the context may not make it clear which it is. It’s certainly a pain though, I agree.
The way I remember them though is to focus on the first kanji. If it’s strange, it’s a strange incident. If it’s not, it’s just a normal incident
Just to play devil’s advocate here (not to attack you or anything) - wouldn’t adding 本日 do the same thing, help with learning to pay attention to what kanji is where? I see 本日 in a lot of places, especially school schedules and in restaurants, but I almost always speed-read it as 日本. Dunno if adding 本日 would’ve helped with that, but it wouldn’t hurt.
変事 and 事変 are rather annoying though, I will agree 
It’s used in formal contexts for “today” similar to how あす and みょうにち are more formal than あした for “tomorrow” (except that all three of those are readings for the same kanji, 明日)
I never said they only include each reading once. But 日 as じつ is already in 13 vocab items, and 本 as ほん is already in 26 vocab items, and this count doesn’t even include words with sound changes. So, just my opinion obviously, but adding another word with these readings seems like overkill to me.
Oh I never said I was against 本日 being added, if anything I’m for it being added since it’s very common in news reports and such
Yeah, same here! So for that reason if nothing else I think it’d be a useful addition 
[quote=“seanblue, post:12, topic:47198”]
I see. I took your original statement to mean that vocab that already kanji that are used with some regularity were not in line with WK’s purpose. That’s why I brought up 変事 and 事変 since their readings are fairly common as far as I can tell.
I never meant to say that I thought each reading was only included once.
So I should have read your original comment as the readings for 本 and 日 are already overly common in your opinion? I’m not trying to start anything or be overly pedantic, I just want to make sure I am understanding your point correctly this time.
Thanks! I had thought it was just archaic for some reason, so I appreciate the clarification.
I would have to agree. I understand the principles behind WK but I feel that 本日 falls under the “c’mon, why not” category. I was also slightly flummoxed by this word when I first went to Japan, and while I agree that WK shouldn’t have to include every single word in the language this doesn’t seem like something that would really give you too much trouble review-wise while also being immediately useful to know.
I feel so much better now knowing I’m not the only person who just did that 
It’s also used a lot in the lyrics of the Glay song 反省ノ色ナシ。
I had to look it up since when I was reading the lyrics on Apple Music, which has no furigana, I got tripped up and was confused based on what he actually sings. First time I had encountered the word.
While I agree it’s used pretty often and would be good to know for new learners, I think it might take away from the ‘aha’ moment that it has. I think, if there’s any problem, is that 本 has the main meaning of root/main/origin and some people may be just caught up on “book” since it’s listed first. If anything should change to either root/main/origin, since there’s other kanji that kanji meaning doesn’t equate to the vocab meaning when it’s be itself, but of course having ‘book’ it as an alternative (e.g. 際 - occasion (when by itself edge)). I think it might just help learners when they see 本 in other words, but that’s just my thoughts.
So in the case main + day = today