Word
途中
Meaning in Englishon the way, midway
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
Related sentences
N5
途中で雨が降りました。
Tochuu de ame ga furimashita.
It rained on the way.
N4
途中で道に迷ってしまいました。
Tochuu de michi ni mayotte shimaimashita.
I ended up getting lost on the way.
N4
途中で分からなくなった場合は遠慮せず質問してください
Tochuu de wakaranaku natta baai wa enryo sezu shitsumon shite kudasai
If you stop understanding midway please ask without hesitation
Word context
What it means
What does 途中 mean? It indicates a point between start and end, usually describing something still in progress or happening during travel or a process.
Main meanings
- Midpoint in space or time: being partway along a journey or activity.
- In the middle of doing something: an ongoing action or event that occurs before finishing.
- Common collocations show progression or interruption along a path, such as 途中経過 or 途中下車.
How to use it
Used as a noun to denote being in the middle of a journey or process; can attach with particles, and forms phrases with 途中で to indicate something happening midway, and 途中経過 to refer to the current progress. In formal and casual speech it remains a standard noun; examples: 仕事の途中で電話が鳴った, バスの途中で降りる, 途中で道を聞く
Variants and close terms
- 半ば (なかば, nakaba) — midway
- 中盤 (ちゅうばん, chūban) — middle stage
Composition
- 途: path, route; contributes the sense of a journey or trajectory
- 由: reason, origin; contributes to the idea of proceeding along a path toward a point
Etymology
途 path, route; 由 reason, origin; together they form a Sino-Japanese compound whose pronunciation in common use is tochū, reflecting the notion of moving along a path and thus being in between start and end.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N3
最中
saichuu
in the middle of, during
N3
夢中
muchuu
absorbed, crazy about, engrossed
N3
夜中
yonaka
midnight, middle of the night
N3
世の中
yo no naka
society, the world, social life
N3
中央
chuuou
center, middle, central area
N3
中学
chuugaku
junior high school, middle school
N3
中古
chuuko
used, secondhand
N3
中止
chuushi
cancellation, suspension, stoppage
N3
中旬
chuujun
middle third of a month, mid-month period
Kanji