How to say ‘while’ in Japanese

In this #Japanese with anime post, you will find out how to translate the English 'while' into Japanese. It's just one word in English, but Japanese gives you more options, depending on the nuance you want to convey. Don't get discouraged, though! Gojo-sensei and the Attack on Titan cast are here to make the whole linguistic adventure more bearable.

Warning! If you just started watching Jujutsu Kaisen or Attack on Titan, there might be spoilers in this post - Jujutsu Kaisen episode 14, Attack on Titan season 1, episodes 16 & 23.

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Context: Gojo is extremely bored and wants to "play" with Nanami. (Episode14)

 

じゃあ 廃棄のおにぎりでキャッチボールしながら政教分離について語ろうぜ

廃棄	はいき	disposal; abandonment; scrapping; discarding; abolition​ [here: leftovers]
政教分離	せいきょうぶんり	separation of church and state​
しながら	pre-masu + ながら	while

 

Then let's talk about the separation of church and state while playing catch with discarded rice balls. 

 

What does ‘while’ mean in English?                        

Let’s look at some English definitions for more clarity.

• at the same time that something is happening ← We will focus on this one first. 
• used when comparing things, situations, or people and showing how they are different (there’s an example of this one too). 
• (formal) used for saying that although you accept that something is true, there are also doubts or facts that you cannot ignore. (Source: Macmillan dictionary). 

I strongly encourage you to look up meanings of English words, phrases, and structures in English-English dictionaries (Macmillan, Merriam-Webster, Collins, etc.) I’m a teacher, and I noticed that some of my students can’t grasp the meanings of some grammatical structures, only because they intuitively know what they are saying. While learning a foreign language, you’re learning theory first. However, you don’t know the theories behind grammatical structures in your native language, and that makes it difficult to find matching concepts. 

 

Japanese equivalents of English 'while'                        

For things happening at the same time, in Japanese, you can use these structures: 

• 間(に) → あいだ(に) 
• ながら 
• うちに
• ～がてら 

However, bear in mind that each of these structures has a different nuance to it. In English, 'while' is just enough — the context will tell you the rest. In Japanese, you need to consider the context before choosing one of these forms. 

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any examples of ～がてら.

A [pre-masu verb] ながら B                        

Doing mainly B, and A is a secondary action. 

While eating, I watched TV. 

I watched TV while eating. 

 

Which action sounds more important in English? For some, there might be no difference; however, if you switch the verbs in Japanese, you'll shift the focus. 

 

テレビを見ながらご飯を食べる. 

I was focused on watching TV. 

 

ご飯を食べながらテレビを見る.
I was focused on eating. 

 

In the example from Jujutsu Kaisen, the focus is on playing 'catch'. The extra thing they will do is discuss the separation of church and state — maybe they don't want to play in silence.

Things to remember when using ながら 

• Both actions have to be done by the same subject. 
• Remember to start your sentence with the action that was your primary focus. 
• None of the actions is shorter or longer  — the same time span. 
• It can be used with negative verb forms too. 
• When used with adjectives and nouns (verbs too) it changes its meaning to 'in spite of; despite' etc.
  
  

A 間に B                        

B while (within) A 

(It also means 'between' as in, 'There’s a chair between the sofa and the table.')

You use 間に when you take advantage of the longer activity to squeeze in a shorter activity. A is longer, and while A is lasting, you fit B in it. 

 

While living in Japan (longer action), I visited Tokyo.

日本に住んでいる間に、東京を訪れました.
(I took advantage of the longer action and managed to fit it into a shorter one.)

 

While my teacher wasn’t looking (longer action), I ate my lunch (shorter one). 

先生が見ていない間に、お弁当を食べました. 

 

Things to remember: 

• The subject of A and B doesn’t have to be the same.
  (With ながら it has to be the same) 
• Verbs are in ている or dictionary form 
• Noun + の間に 

 

A 間 B (without に)                         

This one means 'during' = through the whole of a period of time. 

• Noun + の + 間 
• Verb (dictionary form/progressive tense) ている + 間
  (I feel like ている is more common with this one.) 
• Adjective + 間 + は 

During the summer (season), all the hotels are open.

夏の間は、すべてのホテルが営業しています. 

(Note that 営業しています is in its progressive form to convey the meaning of 'state', which in English is expressed through the adjective 'open'.)

 

The most important nuance: from the beginning till the end of summer. 

 

I played video games while my mom was away.

母がいない間、テレビゲームをしていました.

 

In English, depending on the context, you can apply two different interpretations.
You either took advantage of the situation (let’s say, you weren’t allowed to play), and you played for 30 minutes (you stopped playing some time before your mom came back. In that case, you'd use 間に. ); or when your mom left, you immediately started playing and finished just when she was back (through the whole period of her absence). 

 

A うちに B                        

B while/before A

• Short form verb/ い adjective + うちに
• Noun + の + うちに
• なadjective + な + うちに 
  
  

Things to remember:

• it can be used with ない verbs;
• it suggests that A is the best time (or even only time) to do B;  
• it is often used when giving orders, suggestions, etc.; 
• if you want to emphasize, ‘it is best to (not) do something within a time frame’, うち is your choice.
  
  

雨が降らないうちに帰りたいです。

I want to go home before it starts raining / The best time to go home is while it is not raining.

ながら wouldn’t work here because there are two different subjects (rain & me).

We could also use 前に (まえに) here.

 

無職のうちにコースを修了したい。

I want to finish the course while I’m still unemployed.
The best time to finish the course is when I’m unemployed (because I have lots of time).

A 中 (read as ちゅう)                        

It is a noun suffix, meaning both in the middle of doing something, (during, in the middle, under (renovation etc.), in progress) and while. 

It is more formal than 間, and doesn’t have the nuance of うち.
Often used as a notification, for example:

• ロード中 (in the midst of loading),
• ダウンロード中 (in the midst of downloading),
• 出張中 (in the midst of a business trip).

In those cases, it has strong nuance of it happening right now, so you can see it when the game is updating, for example:

もうダウンロードをしましたか？Have you already downloaded it?
いまダウンロード中です. I am downloading right now (lit. it’s in the midst of downloading).

 

Example sentences                        

Context: Everyone just found out that Yuuji is alive. (Episode 14)

そいつが死んでる間 何してたかは知りませんが― 

 

I don't know what he was doing while he was dead. 

The English translation (in the episode) is 'since he’s been dead.' (Whatever sounds natural in English.) 

死んでる間 – while he was dead / during him being dead.

 

間 because we're talking about 'duration' - through the whole period of Yuuji's death. 

間に would suggest that while being dead, Yuuji managed to do a lot of stuff. Took advantage of the time and traveled the world, and visited some friends; Fushiguro didn’t know what Yuuji was doing, though. It could also suggest that at some point Fushiguro knew what Yuuji was up to, but there was a short interval when he lost track. 

 

Context: A sergeant gives instructions to Hitch, Annie, and others. (Ep23, S01; min 4.10)

護送自体は憲兵団本部の仕事だから我々は この街を通過する間だけでいい

 

護送	ごそう	escort (e.g. under guard); convoy​
自体	じたい	itself (there are some other ways to say ‘itself’ そのもの is one of them)
本部	ほんぶ	headquarters; head office; main office​
憲兵団	けんぺいだん	Military Police
通過	つうか	passing through (a tunnel, station, town, etc.); passing by (e.g. of a typhoon); transit

​

The convoy itself is the job of the Military Police headquarters, so we'll only be here while it passes through town.

The English translation (in the episode) is 'as', which is a more formal version of 'while. (Whatever sounds natural in English.) 

 

間 because they need to be there when the convoy starts and when it is over. The convoy leaves at 2 pm and the escorting of it is over at 4 pm. Time span – 2 hours. They start escorting it at exactly 2 p.m., and their job is over at 4 p.m. They are there for 2 hours.
間に would suggest that they start escorting it at 2.30 p.m., and finish 10 minutes later, and spend the remaining time doing other stuff. WITHIN the 2-hour time span, they spend only 10 minutes escorting the convoy.
ながら wouldn’t make much sense here because we have two different subjects (we and the convoy).

Context: Armin is trying to fool Annie. (Episode 23, s1; min 13:30)

時間を作って その間に審議会勢力をひっくり返すだけの材料をそろえる

 

そろえる		to collect
材料	ざいりょう	grounds; evidence
ひっくり返 す	びっくりかえす	to overturn (e.g. a decision); to upset; to reverse
勢力	せいりょく	influence; power; might; strength; potency; force;
審議会	しんぎかい	council (deliberative, consultative); commission of inquiry (inquiry)​

 

We’ll buy some time, and in the meantime (while collecting), we’ll collect enough material to overturn the Council’s power.
(The official translation is a bit different from mine, but the meaning is the same.)

 

間に because they won’t spend the whole time collecting the evidence. Let’s say, they have about three hours. They might only need an hour to collect sufficient evidence. 

 

Context:Armin is explaining how he realized that Annie is the female Titan. (Episode 16, s1; min 15.27)

不思議だったのは緻密な陣形でありながらそこに エレン･イェーガーの配置が示されていないことだった

 

不思議	ふしぎ	strange; amazing; curious; miraculous; mysterious​
緻密な	ちみつ	precise; accurate; careful; meticulous
陣形	じんけい	battle formation; military formation​
配置	はいち	arrangement (of resources); deployment; stationing
示す (passive voice)	しめす	to (take out and) show; to demonstrate; to tell

 

What was curious was that, despite the elaborate formation, there was no indication of Eren Jaeger's placement there. 

 

でありながら = pre-masu + ながら

 

There are two different subjects, so  “two things happening at the same time” is not the interpretation we are looking for. Armin presents two contrasting pieces of information. So, if you see two different subjects, but there’s ながら between the clauses, you’re looking at “but; despite; etc.” (English definition #2) 

 

 

Context: episode 16, s1; min 20:18

エレンが知らないうちに死ぬんだろうな 

We will probably die before Eren knows it. (While Eren doesn’t know, we will die) 

 

I know, there’s one more way to say “A before (前に) B,” but this structure doesn’t imply “the best time” and it doesn’t sound like a suggestion. It’s up to you if you want to emphasize something or not. 

 

 

Ok, that's it guys! I hope you'll find this post helpful. If there's anything you disagree with or you'd like to add something feel free to do so in the comment section.