～中

About

中ちゅう (also read as 中じゅう) is a suffix that attaches to nouns, and indicates that an action is in progress, or delineates a certain time span.

E.g. 今いま勉強べんきょう中ちゅうだから、静しずかにしてください。 "I'm studying now, so please be quiet."

E.g. 今月こんげつ中ちゅう。 "Within the month."

When another action takes place within the time period defined by 中ちゅう, the に particle is used to link the clauses together:

E.g. 仕事しごと中ちゅうに、車くるまが爆発ばくはつしてしまいました。 "My car exploded while I was at work."

However, in spoken Japanese, this に is often dropped.

Summary

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  中ちゅう is a suffix that attaches to nouns

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  中ちゅう can also be read as 中じゅう

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  中ちゅう indicates that an action is in progress, or denotes "within X time span"