世よの中なか

よ

の

な

か

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 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.

世よの

中なか

に

は

いろいろ

な

人ひと

が

いる

。

There are all kinds of people in the world.

世よの中なかの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
中in, inside, middle

Related words

社しゃ会かいN4
社会 is a formal, analytical term for society as a system, while 世の中 is a broader, everyday expression for the world or current state of affairs.
世せ間けんN3
世間 emphasizes public opinion or one's social reputation among others, whereas 世の中 refers more generally to the state of the world or the times.
世せ界かいN5
世の中 focuses on human society and everyday life, while 世界 can mean the whole physical world, the universe, or an abstract realm.
世せい路ろ
世の中 is the common, everyday word for 'the world' or 'society', whereas 世路 is a poetic, archaic term evoking the hardships and course of life itself.

Built from

世よ+中なか

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.