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世の中 (よのなか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N3 Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Meanings 1
expression, noun
society ; the world ; the times
Refers to the world of human affairs, the society one lives in, or the current era. Often used in observations about how things are or how people behave.
動うご
き
に
敏びん
感かん
で
あり
たい
。
I want to be sensitive to the trends of the times.
Kanji 世 generation, world, society Similar words 社しゃ 会かい 社会 is a more formal, analytical term for 'society' as a system or structure, while 世の中 is a broader, more everyday expression for the world around us or the current state of affairs.
世せ 間けん 世間 emphasizes the public sphere, other people's opinions, or one's social reputation, whereas 世の中 is more about the general state of the world or era.
Etymology Compound of 世 (yo, 'world, society') + の (no, possessive particle) + 中 (naka, 'inside'). Literally 'the inside of the world', it has been used since classical Japanese to mean the human world or society.