漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons
中: in, inside
Also: middle, mean, center
丨 carries the meaning · 口 is drawn in
Oracle bone · Shang Bronze · Western Zhou Today
Oracle bone and bronze: Wikimedia Commons, traced from Academia Sinica, CC0. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Two readings, and the words that use each
チュウchuu · on'yomi · in compounds
- 中国ちゅうごくChina
- 中年ちゅうねんmiddle-age
- 中学校ちゅうがっこうjunior high school
- 中華料理ちゅうかりょうりChinese food
- 途中とちゅうon the way
- 工事中こうじちゅうunder construction
なかnaka · kun'yomi · on its own
- 中なかinside
- 中村なかむらNakamura (surname)
- 中川なかがわNakagawa (surname)
- 田中たなかTanaka (surname)
Special readingsThese words are read as a whole, not from the readings above.
- 体中からだじゅうthroughout the body
- 今年中 にことしじゅうにwithin this year
Also read うち, あたる, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Pictogram (象形)
A flagpole, as depicted in its original form 𠁩. Based on archaeological evidence, the middle box has been interpreted as a drum (建鼓).
Source: Wiktionary, 中 (rev. 93381443), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Vertical stroke (丨) + a mouth/box (口). The literal image of a line "piercing" through the very "middle" of a space—the essence of being inside.”
Connections
中 gives its sound to
The family reading is チュウ (chuu). Sound parts: KanjiVG.
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · zhōng
Same form: 中 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 中 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 中 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin zhōng most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.