Today, we are going to look at one kanji together. Only one kanji that you already know : 中. We saw this in the course entitled 位置の単語 - Spatial Landmarks. This kanji is really very common in the Japanese language. It is used in several contexts, very different from each other and has various pronunciations, both purely and Sino-Japanese.
In this course, we will study together all the cases where we find this kanji. Each scenario will be explained in detail and accompanied by a selection of examples. We will also discover new adverbs of time.
At the end of this course, we will see another use of the particle で in sentences expressing a choice. As a reminder, we have already seen how to formulate an interrogative sentence where we express a choice by encompassing different elements in the same whole. It was in the course on The Demonstrative Prefixes こ・そ・あ・ど where I gave you the model の + 中で.
Apart from a few sentences in the exercises, you have not often had the opportunity to translate sentences expressing a choice with the questioner どれ and の + 中で. This is an opportunity to refresh your memory.
Now we can finally get to the heart of the matter.
I will first introduce you to the kanji with its purely Japanese pronunciation and its Sino-Japanese pronunciations :
中
なか
チュウ, ジュウ
You already know it. This kanji can be translated as « the inside » or « the middle ». For example, to talk about something or someone inside a place, both literally and figuratively. Thus, to translate sentences like :
Bryan is in the house.
Blythe’s spoon is in the jam jar.
Bisby’s Bombay cat sleeps peacefully in her basket.
Good. It’s all easy now. We are talking about the interior of a place, of an object in the proper sense. We will use the kanji 中 with its purely Japanese pronunciation なか.
Now let’s look at something more complex. If I mean « in the water » or « under the water » or « under the ground », here are some sentences as an example :
The treasure chest is over there under the water.
Me and my classmates Shiori and Tsukiyo are swimming in the water.
The rabbit digs a burrow underground.
To say « in the water », « under the water » or « under the ground », I can say :
水の中
みずのなか
In the water / under the water
水中
スイチュウ
In the water / under the water
地中
チチュウ
Underground
If you look carefully at the two examples above, « in the water » can imply that what we are talking about is in the water without being under water, that means what we are talking about emerges to the surface. But it can also mean « underwater », so what we’re talking about is literally « underwater ». Again, Japanese is a very contextual language and only the context of the sentence can determine which is the most accurate translation.
You will also notice the use of the particle の or not. Both scenarios are possible and the meaning remains exactly the same. There are no hard and fast rules to determine whether or not you can / should use the particle の. The reflex will come automatically with practice.
Finally, the kanji 中 can be translated as « the middle », that means the central position of a place, a space, an object (a plate, a table…). However, be aware that the word 真ん中 . まんなか is often used because it only means « the middle, the center », which avoids any ambiguity.
Now it’s time to move on.
1° meaning: when the nominal group indicates a moment
Noun / Nominal group + 中に,
The noun / The nominal group can be anything: exams, vacations, sports lessons, museum visits, football matches...
Note : in this first meaning, the name does not indicate a place or a period of time.
Can be translated as: during ~, when ~, while ~
The kanji 中 is then pronounced チュウ. We are then talking about a temporal space, a moment. For example, « during the football match », « during the summer holidays », etc.
For this first case, we will necessarily put the particle に to indicate the precise moment during which or during which the action is in the process or was in the process of being done or will be done, in the future. This allows me to refresh your memory by reminding you of what we saw together in the course on the complement of time.
When our complement of time will indicate a precise point in time, a precise period, a precise hour, a precise date, a day of the week or even a year, we use the particle に.
So, if you need to do in Japanese a sentence like: « during the holidays… (it happens, will happen or has happened such an action) », « during the holidays » will be written 休暇中に . キュウカチュウに.
I will now give you some examples :
私は旅行中によく葉書を送る。
I often send postcards when I am travelling.
私は留学中にチーズ工場で働く。
I [work / will work] in a cheese factory during my studies abroad.
私達のビーチでの休暇中、子供たちはついに外で遊びます。太陽を楽しむ。
During [the / our] beach holidays, the children [play / will play] finally outside. They [benefit / will benefit] from the sun.
2° meaning: when the nominal group indicates a period of time
Now let’s see how it happens when the nominal group indicates a period of time: during the day, in the morning, in the afternoon, all night, all night, all day, next month, for next month, in the course of next month, by the next month…as long as it is a period of time. Thus, we will have expressions like « all day long » for example.
Attention : in this second meaning, the nominal group indicates a time period, not to be confused with what we have just seen above.
Can be translated as: throughout ~
The kanji 中 is then pronounced ジュウ.
You will therefore find kanji combinations such as those shown in the example below :
今日中 .
きょうジュウ .
Today, for today, before the end of the day, during the day, by the end of the day
日中
ひなか / ニチジュウ .
During the day, by day
午前中
ゴゼンジュウ
In the morning
午後中
ゴゴジュウ
In the afternoon
一晩中
ひと/バンジュウ .
All night, all night long
一日中
イチニチジュウ
All day, all day long
昨日一日中
きのう/イチニチジュウ .
All day yesterday
来週中
ライシュウジュウ
Next week, for next week, within next week, by next week
来月中
ライゲツジュウ
Next month, for next month, within next month, by next month
来年中
ライネンジュウ
Next year, for next year, within next year, by next year
I will now give you some examples :
ソニアと僕は一晩中ホラー映画を見る。
Sonia and me [watch / will watch] horror movies all night long.
明日は午前中ずっと寝る。
Tomorrow I will sleep all morning.
(The adverb ずっと reinforces this idea that I will be sleeping ALL morning tomorrow. The adverb 午前中 . ゴゼンジュウ on its own does not mean « all morning » but only « in the morning ».)
3° meaning: when the nominal group indicates a place
Noun / Nominal group indicating a place + 中,
The place name can be a store, mall, candy store, bakery, home, neighbour’s house, elementary school, high school, university, garden, city park, museum, velodrome, a country, the bathroom, the living room… absolutely any place. It can even be the human body. For example, if you feel pain all over your body, you would say : 体中 . からだジュウ.
Alright, we won’t be studying adjectives until season four but keep that in mind.
Can be translated as: everywhere in ~, anywhere in ~
The kanji 中 is then pronounced ジュウ.
I give you below some very simple examples :
フランス中
フランスジュウ
Everywhere in France
日本中
ニホンジュウ
Anywhere in Japan
世界中
セカイジュウ
Around the world
Of course, depending on whether there is an action verb or a presence verb, you will use the particle で or the particle に.
There is another way of saying « everywhere, anywhere, in the whole [place] ». For example, if I mean:
All over the garden / In the whole garden / Everywhere in the garden.
I can say:
庭のいたるところ
にわのいたるところ
OR
庭全体
にわゼンタイ
I now give you a single sentence in English with four possible translations in Japanese :
フランスのどこでも、子供も大人も漫画を読む。
フランス中では子供も大人も漫画を読む。
フランスのいたるところでは子供も大人も漫画を読む。
フランス全体では子供も大人も漫画を読む。
Everywhere in France, children and adults read manga.
Note : when talking specifically about a country, it is possible to use the word 全土 . ゼンド which means « the whole territory ».
4° meaning: in sentences expressing a choice
In the sentences expressing a choice, when we ask our interlocutor to choose 1 element among 2 but by including different elements in the same whole, we find the kanji 中. I give you below the example sentence that I gave you in the course entitled « The demonstrative prefixes こ・そ・あ・ど », in addition to other new examples:
あなたはこの果物の中でどれを食べる？
What do you eat among these fruits?
(We use の + 中で which means « between these fruits », « among these fruits ».)
あなたはこの野菜の中でどれを食べる？
What do you eat among these vegetables?
(Same as previous example.)
この旗の中で香川県の旗はどれ？
Among these flags, which one is Kagawa Prefecture’s?
あなたはこれらのテスラ電気自動車の中で香川県の旗はどれを選ぶか？
Among these Tesla electric cars, which one will you choose?
Important : note that for all these sentences, it is possible to imply the personal pronoun if the context allows it. It is also possible to imply 中 and the particle で since the context and especially the interrogative pronoun どれ make us understand that the question concerns a choice. These shortcuts are common in spoken language.
I give you now the same examples but shortened :
この果物のどれを食べる？
What do you eat among these fruits ?
この野菜のどれを食べる？
What do you eat among these vegetables ?
香川県の旗はこの旗のどれ？
Among these flags, which one is Kagawa Prefecture’s ?
これらのテスラ電気自動車のどれを選ぶか？
Among these Tesla electric cars, which one will you choose ?
Before moving on to the conclusion, I would like to introduce you to a few additional vocabulary words that you may well find in the exercises to come. Perhaps not in the exercises of this course but, in any case, in other future exercises most certainly.
Let’s start with the first ones :
地中 .チチュウ . Underground, subterranean
山中 .サンチュウ . In the mountain
泥中 .デイチュウ . In the mud
雪中 .セッチュウ . In the snow
市中 .シチュウ . In the city
火中 .カチュウ . In the fire, in the flames
雨中 .ウチュウ . Under the rain
One thing to know is that all these words in Sino-Japanese pronunciation can also be written in purely Japanese pronunciation with particle の + 中. See below :
地の中 . チのなか . Underground, subterranean
山の中 . やまのなか . In the mountain
泥の中 . どろのなか . In the mud
雪の中 . ゆきのなか . In the snow
市の中 . シのなか . In the city
火の中 . ひのなか . In the fire, in the flames
雨の中 . あめのなか . Under the rain
Now, I give you below other vocabulary words bringing more nuances, more subtleties depending on what you are trying to say :
山奥 . やまおく . At the bottom of a mountain, deep in a mountain
山の中心 . やまのチュウシン . In the heart of the mountain
雨の中心 . あめのチュウシン . In the heart of the rain
火の中心 . ひのチュウシン . In the heart of the fire
炎の中心 . ほのおのチュウシン . In the heart of the flames
End of the course.
I give you your exercises. As usual, theme and version. Work well.
Yes, it’s a very short conclusion, but anyway you now know the song.
You also have a very important little vocabulary word to learn. I put it below.
旗 .
はた . the flag, the banner
Introduction