Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …間に | …aida ni |
| …時に | …toki ni |
| …ながら | …nagara |
The phrase …間に is used to mean 'while' or 'during' when referring to a specific action or event that occurs at some point within a continuous period of time. It is typically used with verbs that describe a single occurrence or a completed action within a timeframe.
Which one should you use?
There are distinct ways to express 'while' based on the nature of the actions: 1. …間に is used when a specific event happens at some point during a duration. This differs from …間 (without 'ni'), which describes an action that continues throughout the entire duration of another state. 2. …ながら is used specifically when one person is performing two actions simultaneously, such as walking while talking.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form …ながら is used for simultaneous actions performed by the same subject. When using …間に, the focus is on an event occurring within a period of time.
How do you pronounce it?
…aida ni
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese performing arts, 間 (ma) refers to the strategic use of silence or stillness. This 'negative space' is considered as essential to the performance as the movements and dialogue.
- The form …ながら is often used as a polite way to apologize for a shortcoming, such as using 不慣れながら to say 'while I am inexperienced'.
- The phrase …ながら can sometimes be used to mean 'despite' or 'although' rather than 'while', such as when saying someone is 'kind while being strict'.
Examples in context
- 晩ご飯を 食べつつ テレビを見たI ate dinner and watched TV
Sources
- Wiktionary, “while” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
