connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜最中に — right in the middle of ~
〜最中に ・ さいちゅうに
Meaning
- right in the middle of ~ / in the very midst of ~ — an action is at its peak when something interrupts it
Key sentence
食事の最中に電話が鳴った。
The phone rang right in the middle of the meal.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (+の) / Verb (〜ている) | N + の最中に; V-ている + 最中に | 会議の最中に / 話している最中に |
Examples
試験の最中に地震が起きた。
An earthquake struck right in the middle of the exam.
シャワーを浴びている最中に客が来た。
A visitor came while I was right in the middle of showering.
When you can't use it
- Used when something interrupts an action at its height, so it pairs with a sudden event. It needs an active, ongoing action — not a static state; 静かな最中に is unnatural.
Easily confused with
〜間に 間に means 'at some point during a span' (留守の間に = 'while I was out'). 最中に zooms in on the very peak of an action — 'right in the thick of it' — and almost always sets up an interruption. ところ ているところ marks the precise moment an action is in progress, neutrally. 最中に adds the nuance of being deep in the middle of something, usually disrupted by what follows.
See 〜最中に in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜最中に the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.