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そのうち (sonouchi) Japanese meaning: before long | Kotomora

そのうち

そ

の

う

ち

Common word›JLPTN3›

Meanings

1

expression, adverb

before long; soon; someday; sooner or later

usually written using kana alone

Refers to an unspecified future time, often with a sense of 'eventually' or 'in due course'. Used when the exact timing is not important.

そのうち雨あめがやむでしょう。

It will stop raining before long.

そのうちまた会あいましょう。

Let's meet again someday.

2

expression, adverb

among them; of those; of the aforementioned

usually written using kana alone

Used to refer to a subset of a previously mentioned group. Often appears in formal or written contexts.

応おう募ぼ者しゃは10人にんいたが、そのうち3人にんが合ごう格かくした。
There were 10 applicants, and among them, 3 passed.
彼かれは多おおくの本ほんを書かいたが、そのうちの数すう冊さつはベストセラーになった。
He wrote many books, and of those, several became bestsellers.

Kanji

内inside, within, between
其that

Related words

いずれN3sense 1
いずれ can imply inevitability or a choice among alternatives, while そのうち simply points to an indefinite near future.
やがてN3sense 1
やがて has a slightly more literary or formal tone than そのうち, which is casual and conversational.
いつかN4
そのうち suggests something will happen before long or in due course, while いつか leaves the timing completely open and possibly far off.
今いまにN3
そのうち is a casual, vague 'sooner or later', whereas 今に carries a stronger sense of inevitability or warning.
そのうちに
その内 is the same expression without に and is used identically to mean 'before long', with そのうちに being a slightly more common spoken variant.

Don't confuse with

その間あいだ
そのうち means 'before long, one of these days' about an unspecified future moment, while その間 refers to a known interval or period that has already been mentioned.
このうち
この内 means "among these (items just mentioned)", while そのうち usually means "before long/soon" though it can also mean "among those" in the same set-reference sense.

Written forms

その内うち
Kanji form, recognized but less frequent than kana.
其その内うち
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 其の; not commonly encountered.

Etymology

Compound of その (that) and うち (inside, within). Originally referred to 'within that (time/group)', which developed into the adverbial senses of 'before long' and 'among them'.