Structure
Verb[ている]+ うちに
[い]Adjective + うちに
[な]Adjective + な + うちに
Noun + の + うちに
Details
Standard
Rare Kanji
裡に
About うちに
When うち, (sometimes seen using the kanji 内, or 裡) is paired with the case marking particle に, it expresses a period/space 'within' which something else will/should happen/exist. It quite often (but not always) carries the nuance of (A) being the 'best', or the 'optimal' time/space within which (B) could occur/exist. In English, うちに can simply be translated as 'while', or 'during'.
うちに may be paired with the dictionary or ている form of verbs, the plain form of い-Adjectives, nouns followed by の, or な-Adjectives that are followed by な.
Unlike 間に, うちに expresses something that can happen/exist anywhere 'within' the span of (A), and is therefore non-specific as to where (B) is located.
Fun Fact
The kanji 裡 refers literally to the inner walls/lining of something, and anything that is enclosed within that space. This can be thought of as where the 'non-specificity' of うち comes from, in regard to where within that space something is.
Related
Examples
--:--
近い内に連絡します。
I'll be in touch before long.
鉄は熱い内に打て。
Strike while the iron is hot.
授業を受けている内に、宿題を完成させた。
I was able to finish my homework while taking a class.
赤ちゃんは食べている内に寝てしまった。
The baby fell asleep while eating.
日本にいる内に東京に行ってみたい。
While I am in Japan, I want to see Tokyo.
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Online
Difference between 前に and うちに
JStackExchange
Offline
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 208
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 512
Tobira
Page 95
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うちに – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (18 in total)
dharlequin
Seems like over the year ChatGPT got a little better in this particular example:
1. 運転している間に眠くなったので、コンビニで休憩をした。
→ I got sleepy at some point while I was driving, so I took a break at a convenience store.
- “間に” emphasizes the time span of driving.
- It means: “During that period of driving, this (getting sleepy) happened.”
- Neutral, factual, and time-based.
- Implication: sleepiness was
casual
Is this LLM explanation based on anything though? Can it cite an authoritative source, like a textbook equivalent, or a post aimed at Japanese language professionals (TV/book editors and such)?
I don’t know if I’ve seen the ideas that “うちに implies a change or development over time”, or “emphasize that one state gradually led to another: → うちに” before.
I’d consider うちに・間に essentially synonymous in this example. And if one is really searching for a nuance, that’d be that with うちに driving is a situation especially conductive of sleepiness. So if one would stop driving, that would also automatically prevent sleepiness.
Newkidi
Hey, i hope everyone is doing well i just have a hard time regarding うちに this applies for 間に as well i get everything with the adjective and noun usage but when it comes to verb I’m lost. apparently with ているうちに can mean while your doing something something happens. cool i got that 私が寝てるうち・間に弟が来た but in cases like this 彼と毎日会ううちに、だんだんと彼のことが好きになってきた。confuses me like its the while this happened something changes "“as i am doing something. something changed” okay but like some examples are like 日本語を勉強してるうちに上手になった like as im speaking now? as i been speaking its improved??? or like 連絡してるうちに上手になった as in while ur currently doing it? idk why im struggling with this the while i do this… this happens i understand but the as i do x… y change takes place im struggling. another example would be さらに不気味な海 進 むうちに少女はおう ちが恋 しくなり or like 友達と話してるうちに日本語が話せるようになった sorry im using alot of examples to hopefully give you all a picture of what im not understanding. practically Dictionary form + うちに and the ...
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