中 means “inside / middle”

Watch: Gen and Shibamaru learn 中

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Where 中 comes from

中 is often explained as a line going through the middle of a box.

Stroke order (4 strokes)

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

Words with 中

• 

  中なか

  NAKA

  inside

• 

  中学校ちゅうがっこう

  CHUUGAKKOU

  junior high school

• 

  中国ちゅうごく

  CHUUGOKU

  China

• 

  一日中いちにちじゅう

  ICHINICHIJUU

  all day

The part of each word written with 中 is shown in orange. Audio: the readings from our video.

Reading tips

• かばんの 中 (KABAN NO NAKA) means "inside the bag."
• In 一日中 (ICHINICHIJUU, all day), 中 is read じゅう (JUU), not ちゅう (CHUU). It is the same in 世界中 (SEKAIJUU, all over the world).
• 中国 means "the middle country."

In the video

• Gen一日中 ねたい！I want to sleep all day!
• Shibamaruべんきょうも しようねLet's study too!

Example sentences

• かばんの 中に 本が あります。

  KABAN NO NAKA NI HON GA ARIMASU.

  There is a book in the bag.

• 一日中 ねました。

  ICHINICHIJUU NEMASHITA.

  I slept all day.

Keep learning kanji

• GENKI I Textbook (3rd Edition)

  Beginner

  A popular first textbook used in many university courses. Each lesson has a dialogue, grammar explanations in English, and plenty of practice.

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• Minna no Nihongo Beginner I Main Textbook (2nd Edition)

  Beginner

  Written entirely in Japanese, with lots of sentence-pattern practice. Use it together with the Translation & Grammar Notes book.

  View on Amazon