connective N3 uncommon casualpolitewritten
〜間は — during the time that ~ / as long as ~
〜間は ・ あいだは
Builds on 〜間に
Meaning
- during the time that ~ / as long as ~ / while ~ — a state or action that holds continuously throughout a span
Key sentence
日本にいる間は、毎日日本語を話した。
While I was in Japan, I spoke Japanese every day.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (る / ている) / い-adjective / Noun + の | V(る/ている) / Aい / Nの + 間は | 寝ている間は / 学生の間は |
Examples
子どもが寝ている間は、静かにしていた。
While the kids were asleep, I kept quiet.
若い間は、いろいろなことに挑戦したい。
While I'm young, I want to try all sorts of things.
When you can't use it
- The main clause holds throughout the whole span. That's the は: 間は = 'the entire time,' whereas 間に marks a single event at some point within the span (寝ている間に電話が来た = 'a call came while I slept').
Easily confused with
See 〜間は in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜間は the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo