Used to refer to the present time in contrast with the past, often with a nuance of change or criticism.
Nowadays, few people write letters.
Young people these days are always looking at their smartphones.
Standard kanji spelling for 'nowadays'.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling, also used.
Compound of 今日 (kyō, 'today') and 日 (hi, 'day'), with rendaku voicing. The exact historical development is uncertain, but it has been used since at least the Edo period to mean 'nowadays'.