Posted inN3 Grammar

旅や作業の「真ん中」を表す！「途中で / 途中に」をマスターしよう

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“during,” “midway,” “in the middle of.”

🎯 Primary Function

Indicates that an action or event occurs while something else is in progress (a journey, an activity, a process). It signifies that the second action/event interrupts or happens at some point within the duration or course of the first.

📋 Grammar Structure

Noun + の + 途中 で/に Verb (~ている form) + 途中 で/に

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used appropriately in formal settings, especially with formal nouns.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in everyday conversation.

✍️ Written Language

Common in various forms of writing.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequently used in daily speech.

💡 Common Applications

Describing something that happened during a journey or trip.
Indicates an event or action that took place at some point while traveling from one place to another.
Example: 旅行の途中で、美味しいラーメンを食べました。 (Ryokou no tochuu de, oishii raamen o tabemashita.) – I ate delicious ramen in the middle of my trip.
Describing an interruption during a task or activity.
Indicates that a new action or event occurred while the main task or activity was still ongoing.
Example: 勉強している途中に、地震がありました。 (Benkyou shiteiru tochuu ni, jishin ga arimashita.) – There was an earthquake while I was studying.
Referring to something happening during an event or process.
Used to describe something that happened at a point during a meeting, class, conversation, or other ongoing process.
Example: 会議の途中で、気分が悪くなりました。 (Kaigi no tochuu de, kibun ga waruku narimashita.) – I started feeling unwell in the middle of the meeting.
📊
Frequency
Very common in daily conversation and writing.
🎚️
Difficulty
Relatively easy for N3 learners to understand the core meaning, but distinguishing between で and に can require some practice.
Example Sentences
旅行の途中で、きれいな景色を見ました。
I saw a beautiful view in the middle of my trip.
勉強している途中に、友達から電話がかかってきました。
A friend called while I was studying.
会議の途中で、トイレに行きました。
I went to the restroom in the middle of the meeting.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Understanding “途中”
“途中” refers to the state of being in the middle of a process, journey, or event, before it has finished.
Example: 家への途中で雨が降ってきた。(Ie e no tochuu de ame ga futte kita.) – It started raining on the way home.
Connecting with Nouns and Verbs
Use の after a noun to connect it to 途中. Use the 〜ている form for verbs to indicate an action in progress that is interrupted or during which something happens.
Example: 仕事の途中 (Shigoto no tochuu) – In the middle of work. 走っている途中 (Hashitteiru tochuu) – In the middle of running.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using dictionary form or ます form directly before 途中 for ongoing actions.
✅ Use the 〜ている form.
✕ 話す途中、電話がかかってきた。→ 〇 話している途中に、電話がかかってきた。 (Hanashiteiru tochuu ni, denwa ga kakatte kita.)
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🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral; the politeness level depends on the surrounding sentence structure and vocabulary.
Social Situations: Used in a wide range of social contexts whenever describing an event occurring mid-process.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in the use of 途中で / 途中に itself.

🔍 Subtle Differences

途中で vs 途中に
Both are very similar and often interchangeable in indicating an event happening during a process or journey. で emphasizes the location or specific point where the intervening event occurs. に can emphasize the point in time or sequence within the process.
When to use: For N3 learners, it is acceptable to use either で or に in most cases. Pay attention to natural usage through exposure.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Connects with Nouns using 「の」 and Verbs using the 「〜ている」 form.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

「途中」is pronounced “tochuu”. The “u” sound in “chuu” is elongated. Pay attention to the pitch accent if you are learning it, but the meaning will be understood even without perfect pitch.

🧠 Memory Tips

Imagine a line representing a journey or process. 途中 is a point or section on that line where something else happens. “とちゅう” sounds a bit like “touching” something on the way through.

Practice Exercises
テレビを見ている＿＿＿＿、宅配便が届いた。
途中から
途中で
途中へ
途中まで
マラソンの＿＿＿＿、足が痛くなりました。
途中へ
途中に
途中まで
途中から
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