Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 3963 of 4449

Save Sign in to track

合間

あいま

interval; break; a gap between activities

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 勉強の合間に私はテレビを見た。

    べんきょうのあいまにわたしはてれびをみた。

    I watched television during a break from studying.

  2. 仕事の合間を縫って病院へ行った。

    しごとのあいまをぬってびょういんへいった。

    I slipped off to the hospital between jobs.

  3. 育児の合間に少しずつ書きためた原稿が、一冊の本になった。

    いくじのあいまにすこしずつかきためたげんこうが、いっさつのほんになった。

    The manuscript I built up bit by bit between childcare duties became a book.

Common patterns

仕事の合間に
between jobs; in gaps at work
合間を縫って
squeezing it in between other things
合間に休む
to rest in the gaps

Memory tip

合間 is the gap between two stretches of activity, so it almost always follows a noun plus の and precedes に. 休憩 is a break you formally take; 間隔 is the measured spacing between things.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 合間 mean?