► 名詞
途中 [とちゅう] meaning: middle rank: 1
☆ 帰る途中にガソリンスタンドに寄った ⇨ I stopped by at a gas station on my way home
☆ 彼は今こちらに向かっている途中だ ⇨ He’s on his way here now
☆ 未だ考えている途中だ ⇨ I’m still thinking about it
☆ 駅から家までの途中にある食料品店 ⇨ A grocery store in between the station and my house
真ん中 [まんなか] [coll] meaning: middle rank: 1
☆ 私は三人兄弟の真ん中だ ⇨ I am the middle of three siblings
最中 [(1)さいちゅう] meaning: middle rank: 2
☆ 彼は今お客さんに会っている最中だ ⇨ He is having a meeting with a customer right now
中間 [ちゅうかん] meaning: middle rank: 2
☆ ケフィアは牛乳とヨーグルトの中間みたいな感じだ ⇨ Kefir is like somewhere between milk and yogurt
☆ 中間報告 ⇨ A mid-term report
☆ 選手達はマラソンコースの中間点に達した ⇨ The runners have reached the middle point of the marathon course
真っ最中 [(3)まっさいちゅう] meaning: middle rank: 2
☆ シコっている真っ最中にお母さんが部屋に入ってきた ⇨ Mom entered my room when I was right in the middle of jerking off
☆ 手術の真っ最中に地震が起こった ⇨ There was an earthquake right in the middle of an operation
掛け [がけ] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ 帰りがけにコンビニに寄った ⇨ I stopped by at a convenience store on my way home
最中 [(1)さなか] [liter] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ お忙しい最中御越し頂いて本当に有難うございます ⇨ Thank you very much for coming when you are very busy
中途 [ちゅうと] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ 中途解約の違約金 ⇨ The penalty for a mid-term contract cancellation
☆ 彼は家の掃除を中途で放り出して外出した ⇨ He quit cleaning his house halfway and went out
中部 [(1)ちゅうぶ] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ 米国中部は平野が多い ⇨ The middle part of the US is mostly plains (☛ The middle part of an area)
途上 [とじょう] [liter] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ その技術は未だ開発の途上にある ⇨ That technology is still on the road of, under, development
☆ 発展途上国 ⇨ A country in the path of development
半ば [なかば] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ 彼はマラソンの半ばで棄権した ⇨ He quit the marathon race in the middle
真っ只中 [(4)まっただなか] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ 私達はコロナ禍の真っ只中にいる ⇨ We are right in the middle of COVID pandemic
板挟み [(3)いたばさみ] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 子供の時不仲の両親の板挟みになった ⇨ When I was a child I got caught in the middle of fighting parents (☛ Always negative connotations)
渦中 [(1)かちゅう] [liter] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 彼は陰謀の渦中に巻き込まれた ⇨ He got sucked into a whirlpool of conspiracy (☛ Literally “whirl center”. A middle of trouble)
中堅 [ちゅうけん] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 中堅自動車メーカー ⇨ A mid-level car manufacturer (☛ Someone/something that is middle-level but very solid)
中世 [(1)ちゅうせい] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 中世ヨーロッパ ⇨ The Middle Ages Europe
中道 [ちゅうどう] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 中道主義の政党 ⇨ A political party with a middle-of-the-road policies (☛ Usually about opinions, ideologies, principles, etc.)
中盤 [ちゅうばん] meaning: middle rank: 4
☆ 試合は中盤に差し掛かった ⇨ The game has reached its middle part (☛ The middle part of an event)
► 形容動詞
中途半端 [(5)ちゅうとはんぱ] meaning: middle rank: 2
☆ 中途半端が一番いけない。最初からやらないか、最後までやるかのどっちかにしろ ⇨ Somewhere in the middle, that’s the worst. It is either you don’t do it at all, or go all the way (☛ Always negative connotations. Not good enough for anything)
どっち付かず [(4)どっちつかず] [coll] meaning: middle rank: 3
☆ この道具はどっちつかずで結局役に立たない ⇨ This tool is a kind of tweener and not useful in the end (☛ Always negative connotations. Not good enough for anything)
► 接尾辞
掛け [かけ] meaning: middle rank: 1
☆ 読みかけの本 ⇨ A book I am still reading
☆ 途中までやりかけた所で時間切れになってしまった ⇨ I was in the middle of it when I ran out of time
☆ 飲みかけのビール ⇨ A beer that is half drunk