…間に
…aida ni
The English phrase "as long as" can be expressed in Japanese using …間に (…aida ni), meaning "while". Wiktionary also lists …時に (…toki ni).
Meaning: while (conj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …間に | …aida ni |
| …時に | …toki ni |
Which one should you use?
While …間に (aida ni) and …時に (toki ni) both translate to "while" or "at the time of", they are used to express different nuances of duration and timing. For specific conditional uses of "as long as", such as expressing a condition or limit, other forms like ～限り (kagiri) or ～なら (nara) are more appropriate.
How do you pronounce it?
…aida ni
Did you know?
- The word 間 (aida) is also used to describe the 'ma' or negative space in Japanese arts and conversation. Mastering the 'ma' means knowing exactly how long to stay silent between phrases.
- When using 限り (kagiri) for 'as long as', it shares a root with the word for 'limit' or 'boundary'. This frames the condition as a hard edge beyond which the statement is no longer true.
- The kanji 時 (toki) contains the radical for 'sun'. This reflects the ancient method of tracking 'while' or 'time' by observing the movement of the sun across the sky.
Example sentences for Japanese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “as long as” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
