真まっ只ただ中なか

ま

っ

た

だ

な

か

Meanings

noun

right in the middle of; right at the height of

Used for being in the very center of a physical space, time period, or intense situation. Often followed by 〜に or 〜で.

彼かれは嵐あらしの真まっ只ただ中なかに立たっていた。
He was standing right in the middle of the storm.
今いまは試し験けんの真まっ只ただ中なかで、とても忙いそがしい。
I'm right in the middle of exams now, so I'm very busy.

See all 7 example sentences ›

Kanji

真true, reality, Buddhist sect
只only, free, in addition
中in, inside, middle
直straightaway, honesty, frankness
唯solely, only, merely

Related words

最さい中ちゅう
最中 also means 'in the middle of' but is more neutral; 真っ只中 adds emphasis on being right at the peak or center.
真まん中なか
真ん中 refers to the physical center of something, while 真っ只中 is used for being in the midst of an event or situation.

Built from

真ま+只ただ中なか

Written forms

真まっ只ただ中なか
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
まっただ中なか
Kana-heavy variant; the first part is written in hiragana.
真まっただ中なか
Variant with small-tsu in hiragana.
真まっ直ただ中なか
Uncommon variant using 直.
まっ只ただ中なか
Rare variant with initial kana.
真まっ唯ただ中なか
Rare variant using 唯.
真まっ只ただ中なか
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana usage; less common.

Etymology

Compound of 真っ (ma', intensifying prefix) + 只中 (tadanaka, 'middle'). The exact historical derivation of 只中 is uncertain, but it has long been used to mean 'center' or 'midst'.