Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 31st issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re simply going through some grammar:

中 (なか / naka) is a word for "inside."

It can also be used to compare items, like saying "among" these things, or to show the circumstances "in which" another action or event happens.

 The Basics

At its most basic, 中 (なか / naka) means "inside" or "within" a certain boundary.

For example, "inside the box" is 箱の中 (はこのなか / hako no naka), and "inside the house" is 家の中 (いえのなか / ie no naka).

- 箱の中 (はこのなか / hako no naka) — inside the box

- 家の中 (いえのなか / ie no naka) — inside the house

中 (なか / naka) can also mean "middle," like the middle finger in Japanese: 中指 (なかゆび / nakayubi).

- 中指 (なかゆび / nakayubi) — middle finger

Sometimes, it can also refer to the central area of a town or city. In Japanese, the downtown area is called 街中 (まちなか / machi naka).

- 街中／町中 (まちなか / machi naka) — the central area of a city/town

Got the basics of 中 (なか / naka)? Let’s look at some common ways to use it!

> Note: We also have other uses for 〜中 (ちゅう / chuu) and 〜中 (じゅう / juu). Check them out if you're interested!

Patterns of Use

〜の中 (〜のなか / 〜no naka)

As seen in the earlier examples, の (no) marks the object whose "inside" you're talking about. If something is inside the car, you say:

- 車の中 (くるまのなか / kuruma no naka) — inside the car

You can also use this figuratively. For example, to say something is in your memory, you can say:

- 記憶の中 (きおくのなか / kioku no naka) — in my memory

(〜の)中 + に/で ((〜の)なか + に/で / (〜no) naka + ni/de)

Different particles can follow 中 (なか / naka), but the most common ones are に (ni) and で (de).

- に (ni) shows location:

 カギを車の中に忘れた。 (カギをくるまのなかにわすれた / kagi o kuruma no naka ni wasureta) 

"I left my keys in the car."

- で (de) shows where an action takes place:

 昨日は車の中で寝た。 (きのうはくるまのなかでねた / kinou wa kuruma no naka de neta) 

"I slept in the car yesterday."

In both examples, you can actually omit 〜の中 (〜のなか / 〜no naka) because the context makes it clear you're talking about "inside" the car.

中 For "Within Boundaries"

中 (なか / naka) can also be used to talk about things within certain boundaries or limits. Let’s look at some examples:

〜の中から (〜のなかから / 〜no naka kara) For "From Among The Choices…"

When used with から (kara), 中 (なか / naka) can show a choice from three or more items. For example, if you take your child to a toy store and they can pick only one toy, you can say:

- 三つの中から、一つ選んでね。 (みっつのなかから、ひとつえらんでね / mittsu no naka kara, hitotsu erande ne) 

"You can pick one of these."

If the choices are specific, you could list them like this:

- 飛行機とスーパーボールと人形の中から、好きなの一つ選んでね。 (ひこうきとスーパーボールとにんぎょうのなかから、すきなのひとつえらんでね / hikouki to suupaa booru to ningyou no naka kara, suki na no hitotsu erande ne) 

"Pick the airplane, the bouncy ball, or the doll."

〜の中で (〜のなかで / 〜no naka de) For "(Out) of…"

When used with で (de), 中 (なか / naka) sets a boundary for comparing things. It’s often used when comparing three or more items.

- タカシは三人の中で一番背が高い。 (たかしはさんにんのなかでいちばんせがたかい / Takashi wa sannin no naka de ichiban se ga takai) 

"Takashi is the tallest of the three."

(〜の)中には ((〜の)なかには / (〜no) naka ni wa) For "Some of…"

With には (ni wa), 中 (なか / naka) can indicate "some of" a group.

- 生徒の中には、カメラを付けない者もいる。 (せいとのなかには、カメラをつけないものもいる / seito no naka ni wa, kamera o tsukenai mono mo iru) 

"Some of the students don’t turn on their cameras."

Beyond The Basics

中 For "Under Certain Circumstances"

中 (なか / naka) can also describe situations, often referring to difficult circumstances like bad weather:

- 嵐の中(を)歩いた。 (あらしのなか(を)あるいた / arashi no naka (o) aruita) 

"I walked in the middle of a storm."

It can also be used for more figurative situations:

- バッシングの中(を)、歯を食いしばって頑張った。 (バッシングのなか(を)、はをくいしばってがんばった / basshingu no naka (o), ha o kuishibatte ganbatta) 

"Despite the criticism, I gritted my teeth and worked through it."

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed this simple grammar run-through :)

Have a great Sunday!