Grammar › Connecting Ideas
間に (あいだに) — “while, during”
Marks a window of time in which something (often unexpected) happens
間に marks a bounded stretch of time — during which a separate, often one-off or unnoticed, event takes place: 私が寝ている間に雨が降った (it rained while I was sleeping). Drop the に (間 alone) when the main clause describes something that lasts through the whole period instead of a single point within it.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb (ongoing) + 間に | 子供が寝ている間に洗濯をします — I do the laundry while my child is sleeping |
| Noun + の + 間に | 休み時間の間に宿題をやった — I did homework during break |
| Whole-duration (no に) | 授業の間、ずっと寝ていた — I slept through the whole class |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 母が買い物をしている間に、部屋を掃除しました。 | ははがかいものをしているあいだに、へやをそうじしました。 hahagakaimonowoshiteiruaidani、heyawosoujishimashita。 | I cleaned the room while my mother was shopping. |
| 夏休みの間に、たくさん本を読みたいです。 | なつやすみのあいだに、たくさんほんをよみたいです。 natsuyasuminoaidani、takusanhonwoyomitaidesu。 | I want to read a lot of books during summer vacation. |
| 知らない間に、雨がやんでいた。 | しらないあいだに、あめがやんでいた。 shiranaiaidani、amegayandeita。 | Without my noticing, the rain had stopped. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
間に signals a point-in-time event inside the window (rain starting, someone arriving); plain 間 (no に) signals something that fills the entire window. Mixing them up is a very common N3 test trap.