Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
‘On the way,’ ‘midway through,’ or ‘in the middle of.’
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate that something happens during the progress of an action or while moving toward a destination.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (Dictionary form) + 途中(で/に) / Verb (ている form) + 途中(で/に) / Noun + の + 途中(で/に)
Not applicable (Not directly used with i-adjectives).
Not applicable (Not directly used with na-adjectives).
Not typically used in the negative form.
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business reports or formal announcements to explain interruptions or status updates.
Informal Situations
Commonly used to tell friends about things that happened while commuting or doing chores.
Written Language
Common in journals, novels, and news reports.
Spoken Language
Frequent in daily life to explain why something wasn’t finished or what happened while out.
💡 Common Applications
Interruption of an action
Used when an ongoing action is paused or interrupted by another event.
Example: 仕事の途中で休憩する (Take a break in the middle of work).
Physical movement to a destination
Used to describe events happening while traveling from point A to point B.
Example: 帰る途中で買い物をする (Do some shopping on the way home).
Discovery or existence at a point
Used with ‘ni’ to indicate a specific point or location within a route or time period.
Example: 道の途中に交番がある (There is a police box on the way).
Frequency
High. Very common in both daily conversation and formal writing.
Difficulty
JLPT N3
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Example Sentences
Example #1
学校へ行く途中で、友達に会った。
Furigana: がっこうへいくとちゅうで、ともだちにあった。
Romaji: Gakkou e iku tochuu de, tomodachi ni atta.
English: I met a friend on the way to school.
Example #2
映画の途中で、電話が鳴った。
Furigana: えいがのとちゅうで、でんわがなった。
Romaji: Eiga no tochuu de, denwa ga natta.
English: The phone rang in the middle of the movie.
Example #3
家に帰る途中に、きれいな花が咲いていた。
Furigana: いえにかえるとちゅうに、きれいなはながさいていた。
Romaji: Ie ni kaeru tochuu ni, kirei na hana ga saite ita.
English: On the way home, there were beautiful flowers blooming.
Example #4
マラソンの途中で、足が痛くなった。
Furigana: まらそんのとちゅうで、あしがいたくなった。
Romaji: Marason no tochuu de, ashi ga itaku natta.
English: Midway through the marathon, my leg started to hurt.
Example #5
料理をしている途中で、塩がないことに気づいた。
Furigana: りょうりをしているとちゅうで、しおがないことにきづいた。
Romaji: Ryouri o shite iru tochuu de, shio ga nai koto ni kizuita.
English: I realized there was no salt in the middle of cooking.
Example #6
会議の途中で、彼は部屋を出て行った。
Furigana: かいぎのとちゅうで、かれはへやをでていった。
Romaji: Kaigi no tochuu de, kare wa heya o dete itta.
English: He left the room in the middle of the meeting.
Example #7
駅から会社に行く途中に、コンビニがあります。
Furigana: えきからかいしゃにいくとちゅうに、こんびにがあります。
Romaji: Eki kara kaisha ni iku tochuu ni, konbini ga arimasu.
English: There is a convenience store on the way from the station to the office.
Example #8
旅行の途中で、雨が降り始めた。
Furigana: りょこうのとちゅうで、あめがふりはじめた。
Romaji: Ryokou no tochuu de, ame ga furi hajimeta.
English: It started raining in the middle of the trip.
Example #9
話を途中でやめないでください。
Furigana: はなしをとちゅうでやめないでください。
Romaji: Hanashi o tochuu de yamenaide kudasai.
English: Please don’t stop talking in the middle of your story.
Example #10
登山をしている途中に、珍しい鳥を見つけた。
Furigana: とざんをしているとちゅうに、めずらしいとりをみつけた。
Romaji: Tozan o shite iru tochuu ni, mezurashii tori o mitsuketa.
English: I found a rare bird while I was climbing the mountain.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Difference between ‘De’ and ‘Ni’ (Interruption)
‘De’ is used when something happens that changes the situation or interrupts the current action.
Example: 途中で雨が降ってきた。 (It started raining midway).
Difference between ‘De’ and ‘Ni’ (Location/Existence)
‘Ni’ is used to point out existence or a specific point in time/space. It often pairs with ‘aru’, ‘iru’, or ‘mitsukeru’.
Example: 途中に郵便局があります。 (There is a post office on the way).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 会議途中 (Kaigi tochuu) without ‘no’.
✅ 会議の途中で (In the middle of the meeting)
‘Tochuu’ requires ‘no’ when following a noun.
❌ 家に着く途中で…
✅ 家に着く途中で… (On the way to arriving home…) – Better: 家に帰る途中で (On the way back home).
‘Tochuu’ implies a process. ‘Arriving’ (tsuku) is an instantaneous moment, so it’s more natural to use ‘returning’ (kaeru).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. Suitable for all levels of politeness depending on the sentence ending.
Social Situations: In Japan, interrupting someone’s speech (hanashi o tochuu de oru) is considered rude. Using ‘tochuu de’ helps explain the timing of such events.
Regional Variations: None. Standard Japanese across all regions.
🔍 Subtle Differences
途中で vs. 最中に (saichuu ni)
‘Saichuu ni’ emphasizes being right in the middle of a peak moment or a focused state, often with a nuance of being interrupted by something unexpected/bothersome. ‘Tochuu de’ is more general about the route or process.
When to use: Use ‘tochuu de’ for journeys or general tasks; use ‘saichuu ni’ for intensive, ongoing actions like ‘during the test’ or ‘while sleeping’.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Always follows the dictionary form of a verb or a noun + ‘no’. It does not conjugate like a verb or adjective.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Ensure the ‘u’ at the end of ‘tochuu’ (とちゅう) is long. Avoid pronouncing it as ‘tochu’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘Tochuu’ as ‘The middle of a road’. ‘De’ is the action taking place on that road, and ‘Ni’ is something located on that road.
Other Grammar
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