In the Middle Of: 〜最中に

Learn how 〜最中に highlights an action or event happening right in the middle of an ongoing situation.

Use 〜最中に to emphasize that something happens during an active ongoing process.Recognize its difference from the broader timing of 〜あいだに.Read interruption and immediacy more clearly in narratives and reports.

Guided study

Core meaning

〜最中に means “in the middle of …” and strongly emphasizes that an event occurs during an ongoing activity or state. It often sounds more vivid and immediate than 〜あいだに.

会議の最中に、電話が鳴った。

The phone rang in the middle of the meeting.

最中に spotlights the interruption at the exact middle point.

勉強している最中に、友だちから連絡が来た。

I got a message from a friend right in the middle of studying.

The message arrives during an ongoing action, not merely sometime that day.

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