中 — “middle / inside” in Japanese

Grade 1ちゅう, なか

Radical ⼁ · radical 2 The building block this kanji is filed under

“middle / inside” in Japanese is 中, read chuu, naka (ちゅう, なか). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 中学校 (junior high school).

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What does 中 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	中
Meaning	middle / inside
Readings	ちゅう, なか
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	中学校 (junior high school)

How to read 中

中 is read chuu (ちゅう) or naka (なか) depending on the word.

Words with 中

中心ちゅうしん
中央ちゅうおう
中国ちゅうごく
夜中よなか
水中すいちゅう
集中力しゅうちゅうりょく
中心部ちゅうしんぶ
空気中くうきちゅう
世界中せかいじゅう
学校中がっこうじゅう

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Kanji read the same way as 中

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28