〜間 (aida)
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a Japanese conversation, trying to describe something that happened while you were doing something else, only to get stuck? You know the word you want has something to do with “during” or “while,” but your brain starts cycling through toki, nagara, and aida. If you’ve felt that brief moment of panic, don’t worry—you’re definitely not alone. Many learners studying for the JLPT N4 and N3 levels find the grammar point 〜の間 (aida) to be a bit of a “speed bump” on their journey to fluency.
Here is the JLPT N4 complete guide for everyone.
The nuance of time in Japanese can be incredibly specific. In English, we often use “while” or “during” quite broadly, but Japanese likes to be a bit more precise about whether an action lasted the entire time or just happened at some point within a window. Today, we’re going to break down aida so clearly that you’ll be able to use it naturally in your next conversation. Grab a cup of tea, and let’s dive into the world of Japanese time-intervals.
The Core Concept: What Does Aida Really Mean?
At its heart, aida (間) literally means “space” or “interval.” In a physical sense, it describes the gap between two buildings or two people. When we apply this to time, it refers to the “space” between a starting point and an ending point. Think of it as a block of time on a calendar or a segment of a movie.
The trickiest part for most students isn’t the word itself, but the choice between aida and aida ni. Before we look at the complex sentences, let’s look at the basic “skeleton” of how to build a phrase using this grammar.
The Grammar Rules: How to Connect It
The grammar for aida is actually quite friendly because it follows standard Japanese noun-modifying rules. Since aida functions as a noun, you simply need to connect it to other words as if you were describing a noun like “book” or “house.”
- Verbs: Use the Dictionary Form (for general states) or the ~te iru form (for ongoing actions). Example: Neru aida… (While sleeping…) / Utatte iru aida… (While singing…)
- Nouns: Use the particle no. Example: Natsuyasumi no aida… (During summer vacation…)
- I-Adjectives: Keep the ~i. Example: Wakai aida… (While [one is] young…)
- Na-Adjectives: Keep the ~na. Example: Hima na aida… (While [one is] free/has spare time…)
The most important thing to remember is that aida (without the “ni”) is used when Action A and Action B happen simultaneously for the entire duration. If you are doing something from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, and your friend is also doing something else from exactly 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, you use aida.
Daily Life Examples to Bring it to Life
Learning rules is one thing, but seeing how they live in the real world is where the magic happens. Let’s look at three scenarios you might actually encounter while living or traveling in Japan.
Scenario One: Multitasking at Home
Imagine you are a very productive person. You decide to get some cleaning done, but you don’t want to do it in silence. You put on your favorite Japanese podcast to practice your listening while you scrub the floor. Since you listened to the podcast from the moment you started cleaning until the moment you finished, you use aida.
Example Sentence: 掃除をしている間、ずっとポッドキャストを聞いていました。 Souji o shite iru aida, zutto poddokyasuto o kiite imashita. Translation: I was listening to a podcast the whole time I was cleaning.
Notice the word zutto (all the while) in this sentence. It often pairs perfectly with aida because both emphasize that the action never stopped. This is a classic “State A = State B” duration match.
Scenario Two: Waiting for a Friend
We’ve all been there—waiting at a Hachiko-style meeting spot at a station, and your friend is running late. You decide to kill time by playing a game on your phone. From the minute you arrived until the minute your friend finally showed up, you were gaming.
Example Sentence: 友達を待っている間、スマホでゲームをしていました。 Tomodachi o matte iru aida, sumaho de geemu o shite imashita. Translation: While I was waiting for my friend, I was playing a game on my smartphone.
In this case, the “waiting” and the “gaming” occupy the same stretch of time. If you only played the game for 5 minutes of a 20-minute wait, the grammar would change (we’ll get to that in the “Common Mistakes” section!).
Scenario Three: During the School Break
Let’s use a noun example. Suppose you are talking about your summer holidays. You stayed at your parents’ house for the entire duration of the vacation.
Example Sentence: 夏休みの間、ずっと実家にいました。 Natsuyasumi no aida, zutto jikka ni imashita. Translation: During the summer vacation, I was at my parents’ house the whole time.
Using no aida here creates a boundary. The “space” is the summer vacation, and your “presence at home” fills that entire space.
The Great Debate: Aida vs. Aida Ni
This is where things usually get tricky for JLPT test-takers. You might see a sentence and wonder, “Do I need that extra ni?” The answer depends entirely on the length of the second action.
Aida (The “Full Duration” Marker)
As we’ve seen, aida implies that Action B happens for the entire length of Action A. It’s like two parallel lines of the same length.
Aida Ni (The “Momentary Action” Marker)
When you add ni, the meaning changes to “sometime during” or “at some point within.” Action B is a short, specific event that happens inside the window of Action A. Action B does not last the whole time.
Example: お母さんが寝ている間に、ケーキを食べました。 Okaasan ga nete iru aida ni, keeki o tabemashita. Translation: While my mother was sleeping, I ate a cake.
Think about the logic here: The mother might have slept for 8 hours. Eating a cake takes 10 minutes. Since you didn’t spend the full 8 hours eating cake (hopefully!), you must use aida ni. The “ni” acts like a pin dropping on a specific point in the timeline.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even advanced learners slip up with aida. Here are the three most common pitfalls to watch out for so you can stay ahead of the curve.
The “Point Action” Error
The most common mistake is using aida (without ni) for something that only happened once. Incorrect: Rusu no aida, dorobou ga hairimashita. (During my absence, a thief entered—implies the thief was entering for the entire duration of your absence.) Correct: Rusu no aida ni, dorobou ga hairimashita. (While I was out, a thief broke in—a single event during the window.)
Mixing up Aida and Nagara
Both mean “while,” but they are used differently. Nagara is for one person doing two things at the exact same time (like walking while talking). Aida is more about the time period itself. Also, aida can involve two different people (While he was doing X, I was doing Y), whereas nagara usually focuses on a single subject.
Using Static Verbs with Aida Ni
Since aida ni points to a specific moment or a short action, you cannot use it with verbs that describe a continuous state that fills the whole time. Incorrect: Natsuyasumi no aida ni, zutto kuni ni imashita. Correct: Natsuyasumi no aida, zutto kuni ni imashita.
Pro Tips for Your JLPT Exam
If you’re sitting for the N4 or N3, keep these “cheats” in mind when you see a multiple-choice question:
- Look for “Zutto”: If the sentence contains zutto (all the time), it’s a massive hint that you should choose aida without the ni.
- Look for “Instant” Verbs: If the second verb is something like kekkon suru (get married), shinu (die), todoku (arrive), or tsukuru (make), you almost certainly need aida ni because these are specific events.
- Check the Subject: If the subjects of the two clauses are different (e.g., “While the teacher was talking, the student was sleeping”), aida is much more common than nagara.
Summary and Final Thoughts
Mastering 〜の間 (aida) is a significant milestone in your Japanese learning journey. It moves you away from simple “A and B” sentences and allows you to describe the flow of time and the relationship between events with much more sophistication.
To recap:
- Aida = Two things happening simultaneously for the entire duration.
- Aida Ni = One thing happening at some point within a larger window of time.
- Connect with No for nouns, Dictionary/~te iru for verbs, and ~i/~na for adjectives.
The best way to make this grammar stick is to start noticing it. When you’re watching anime or listening to Japanese music, listen for that aida. Ask yourself: “Is this action happening the whole time, or just for a moment?” Once you start seeing the pattern, you’ll be using it yourself without even thinking about it!
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