diff --git a/src/items/builder.rs b/src/items/builder.rs
index f0ec1b0..dc74cfe 100644
--- a/src/items/builder.rs
+++ b/src/items/builder.rs
@@ -264,13 +264,15 @@ impl DateTimeBuilder {
             return Ok(ts.to_zoned(base.offset().to_time_zone()));
         }
 
-        // 3. Determine whether to truncate the time of day.
+        // 3. Determine whether to truncate the time of day. Like GNU, a
+        // relative item on its own keeps the current time of day, while a date,
+        // a weekday, or a timezone item without any relative item resets it to
+        // midnight.
+        let zone_seen = self.offset.is_some() || self.local_zone || has_timezone;
         let need_midnight = self.date.is_some()
             || self.time.is_some()
             || self.weekday.is_some()
-            || self.offset.is_some()
-            || self.local_zone
-            || has_timezone;
+            || (zone_seen && self.relative.is_empty());
 
         let mut dt = if need_midnight {
             base.with().time(civil::time(0, 0, 0, 0)).build()?
@@ -401,12 +403,13 @@ impl DateTimeBuilder {
         };
         let rule_tz = base.time_zone().clone();
 
+        // See `build_in_range` for why a relative item alone keeps the
+        // current time of day.
+        let zone_seen = offset.is_some() || local_zone || has_timezone;
         let need_midnight = date.is_some()
             || time.is_some()
             || weekday.is_some()
-            || offset.is_some()
-            || local_zone
-            || has_timezone;
+            || (zone_seen && relative.is_empty());
         let mut dt = ExtendedDateTime::new(
             DateParts {
                 year: u32::try_from(base.year()).map_err(|_| "year must be non-negative")?,
diff --git a/src/items/offset.rs b/src/items/offset.rs
index d432f2e..5ccdc10 100644
--- a/src/items/offset.rs
+++ b/src/items/offset.rs
@@ -168,8 +168,7 @@ impl Display for Offset {
     }
 }
 
-/// I'm assuming there are no timezone abbreviations with more
-/// than 6 charactres
+/// Timezone abbreviations are assumed to be no longer than 6 characters.
 const MAX_TZ_SIZE: usize = 6;
 
 pub(super) fn parse(input: &mut &str) -> ModalResult<Offset> {
diff --git a/tests/date.rs b/tests/date.rs
index c7d2978..e410051 100644
--- a/tests/date.rs
+++ b/tests/date.rs
@@ -396,3 +396,41 @@ fn test_military_j_rejected(#[case] input: &str) {
         "`{input}` should be rejected, as GNU date does"
     );
 }
+
+// A relative item keeps the base time of day, even when combined with a time
+// zone item. Only a date, a weekday, or a lone zone item resets it to
+// midnight:
+//
+//   $ TZ=America/New_York date -d 'j 1 day'   # tomorrow, current time of day
+//   $ TZ=America/New_York date -d 'utc 1 day' # ditto, in UTC
+//   $ TZ=America/New_York date -d 'j'         # today at 00:00
+//   $ TZ=America/New_York date -d 'j monday'  # next monday at 00:00
+//
+// Verified against GNU coreutils 9.7.
+#[rstest]
+#[case::local_zone_and_relative("j 1 day", "2026-08-30 11:30:45")]
+#[case::relative_then_local_zone("5 minutes j", "2026-08-29 11:35:45")]
+#[case::offset_and_relative("utc 1 day", "2026-08-30 11:30:45")]
+#[case::relative_then_offset("5 minutes utc", "2026-08-29 11:35:45")]
+#[case::timezone_rule_and_relative("TZ=\"Europe/Paris\" 1 day", "2026-08-30 17:30:45")]
+// Without a relative item, a zone item still truncates to midnight.
+#[case::local_zone_alone("j", "2026-08-29 00:00:00")]
+#[case::local_zone_and_weekday("j monday", "2026-08-31 00:00:00")]
+#[case::offset_alone("utc", "2026-08-29 00:00:00")]
+fn test_zone_item_keeps_time_of_day_with_relative(#[case] input: &str, #[case] expected: &str) {
+    let base = "2026-08-29 11:30:45"
+        .parse::<DateTime>()
+        .unwrap()
+        .to_zoned(TimeZone::get("America/New_York").unwrap())
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let parsed = parse_datetime::parse_datetime_at_date(base, input)
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect_in_range();
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        parsed.datetime().to_string(),
+        expected.parse::<DateTime>().unwrap().to_string(),
+        "`{input}` should resolve to {expected} in its own zone"
+    );
+}