Meaning
～最中に means 'right in the middle of' an activity in full swing; the second clause usually reports something unexpected that cuts into it. At the end of a sentence, ～最中だ means 'busy doing that right now'. It is narrower than a plain 'while' or 'during'.
Formation
- Vている＋最中に: 作っている → 作っている最中に
- N (activity, event)＋の＋最中に: 会議 → 会議の最中に
- Vている／Nの＋最中だ／最中です (also 最中なのに, 最中だから): 調べている → 調べている最中です; 試合 → 試合の最中なのに
When to use it
- Where to use it
- For something that breaks into an activity, or to explain why you can't step away right now: 会議の最中に電話が鳴った, 今、引っ越しの準備の最中だ.
- Where not to use it
- Not with the dictionary form (✗話す最中), and not with states or instant verbs (✗日本にいる最中, ✗着いている最中). For 'while you still can' use うちに; for a plain 'during that time' use 間に.
Examples
20 sentences-
会議の最中に、課長の携帯が鳴った。
Right in the middle of the meeting, the section chief's phone rang.
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シャワーを浴びている最中に、急にお湯が出なくなった。
I was right in the middle of my shower when the hot water suddenly stopped.
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試験の最中に、お腹が痛くなって困った。
My stomach started hurting in the middle of the exam, which was awful.
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夕飯を作っている最中に、停電してしまった。
The power went out right while I was making dinner.
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父は今、庭で草取りの最中です。
My father is busy weeding the garden right now.
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原因を調べている最中ですので、少々お待ちください。
We are in the middle of looking into the cause, so please wait a moment.
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人が話している最中に、口を挟まないで。
Don't butt in while someone is in the middle of talking.
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大事な試合の最中なのに、どうして帰っちゃったの？
The big game was in full swing — why did you go home?
12 more examples
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花火大会の最中に、雨が激しく降り出した。
Right in the middle of the fireworks festival, it started pouring.
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今、荷物を詰めている最中だから、あとでね。
I'm right in the middle of packing, so later, OK?
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食事の最中に、地震で部屋が大きく揺れた。
Right in the middle of our meal, an earthquake shook the room hard.
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部屋を片付けている最中に、昔の写真が出てきた。
Right in the middle of tidying my room, some old photos turned up.
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授業の最中に、突然教室の電気が消えた。
In the middle of class, the classroom lights suddenly went out.
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申し訳ありませんが、部長は打ち合わせの最中です。
I'm sorry, but the manager is in the middle of a meeting.
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料理の最中に、どこへ行くの？
Where are you going in the middle of cooking?
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妹が受験勉強の最中だから、静かにしてね。
My sister is in the thick of studying for her entrance exams, so keep it down, okay?
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ぐっすり寝ている最中に、電話で起こされた。
I was fast asleep when a phone call woke me up.
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発表の最中に、パソコンが動かなくなった。
Right in the middle of my presentation, the computer froze.
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山を登っている最中に、急に霧が出てきた。
We were partway up the mountain when fog suddenly rolled in.
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レポートは今、書いている最中です。
I'm in the middle of writing the report right now.
Important notes
- The second clause is typically an interruption — a call, rain, a breakdown, someone butting in — so the phrase often sounds like 'of all moments'.
- The emphatic form is 真っ最中, 'at the very height of': 祭りは今、真っ最中だ. In this pattern 最中 is read さいちゅう (もなか is a wafer sweet).
Common mistakes
- ✗ 料理する最中に電話が鳴った。 → ✓ 料理している最中に電話が鳴った。 — 最中 takes the ～ている form: it is about a process already under way.
- ✗ 日本にいる最中に、大きな地震があった。 → ✓ 日本にいる間に、大きな地震があった。 — いる is a state with no 'peak'; for a span of time use 間に.
- ✗ 音楽を聞いている最中に勉強する。 → ✓ 音楽を聞きながら勉強する。 — two of your own actions at once call for ながら; 最中に is for an event that cuts into a process.
Check yourself
Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.
Similar grammar
- ～間・～間に間に is a neutral 'at some point during A' and works with states too (日本にいる間に); 最中に is only for an active process at its peak, usually with an unwelcome interruption.
- ～うちにうちに means 'while you still can' or 'gradually, in the course of' (話しているうちに仲良くなった); 最中に marks a sudden event in the middle of a process.
- ～ところだ・～ところ（＋助詞）ているところに means 'just as I was doing…' (focus on the moment, often someone arrives or calls); 最中に stresses that the activity was in full swing.
- ながらながら joins two simultaneous actions by the same person (歩きながら話す); with 最中に, another event — often involving someone else — happens during the process.
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