中
MIDDLE
Mnemonic
This kanji is made from a stick (丨) pushed right through the middle of a large box (口). Use this image to help you remember MIDDLE. Imagine lining things up so the stick always passes through the exact center.
Note: From the idea of being in the MIDDLE, this kanji also stretches into meanings like "inside" or "during."
Example Vocabulary
-
中へ入る（なかへはいる） – to go inside
Click to recall: 入 = -
水中（すいちゅう） – underwater
Click to recall: 水 = -
山中（さんちゅう） – in the mountains
Click to recall: 山 = -
口中（こうちゅう） – in the mouth
Click to recall: 口 = -
中日（ちゅうにち） – China and Japan
Click to recall: 日 =
In the middle of things
Whether it’s going inside somewhere (中へ入る), diving underwater (水中), or walking deep in the mountains (山中),
中 shows up whenever you’re literally or figuratively in the thick of it.
It reminds us how much of life happens “right in the middle.”