pause; interval of time; timing
Refers to a brief gap in time, a pause in speech or action, or the sense of timing in an interaction or performance.
He paused for a moment before answering.
After a short pause, he answered.
An awkward pause arose in the conversation.
Used for physical spacing or a gap left between things or people, especially in phrases such as 間を空ける.
Please sit with some space between you and the person next to you.
Often appears in compounds or set room names, especially for Japanese-style rooms, such as 茶の間, 奥の間, and 六畳間.
After dinner, the family watched TV in the living room.
I laid out a futon in the six-tatami room upstairs.
Please leave a bit of space between the desks.
She lives in a six-mat room.
The conversation stopped and there was an awkward silence.
Please sit a little closer together.
A little distance opened up between the two of them.
隙間 specifically means a narrow physical gap or crevice, whereas 間 (ま) covers spacing more broadly, including between people or in abstract arrangements.
部屋 is the everyday, general word for a room, while 間 (ま) as 'room' appears mainly in set compounds and traditional Japanese room names like 茶の間.
間 read あいだ is a separate word meaning 'the space/time between two things' and is used with two reference points (AとBの間), while 間 read ま stands alone as a noun for a pause, gap, or room.
mistake; error; blunder · mishap; accident; trouble · indiscretion; improper conduct
companion; friend; comrade; colleague · group; circle; set; gang · member of the same category; fellow (in a class/family)
be wrong; be mistaken; be incorrect · make a mistake; do incorrectly; get wrong · mistake A for B; confuse
make a mistake; get wrong; do incorrectly · mistake A for B; confuse
be in time; make it on time · suffice; be enough; do the job
Standard kanji spelling for ま. The same kanji has other common readings such as あいだ and かん in other entries; this word covers the reading ま.
A native Japanese noun ま conventionally written with 間, a kanji associated with intervals and spaces. The exact historical derivation of the word is uncertain.
interval; break; pause; spare moment
near; close; nearby · approaching; imminent; just around the corner
valley; ravine; gorge · cleavage (of breasts) · gap; blind spot; trough; lull
stupid; foolish; idiotic · fool; idiot; blockhead
just before; on the verge of; at the point of · edge (just before something)
living room (Western style); sitting room
interval; space between; gap · valley; gorge; ravine · loophole; crenel; eyelet · diagonal gap (Go); move in a diagonal gap
living room; family room
interval; break; pause · gap; rift; cleft
dirt floor; earthen floor room · pit; parterre
floor plan; room layout
frontage; width of a building or plot · breadth; scope; range
pause; interval; break · distance; range; reach · suitable time; right moment; appropriate opportunity · distance between opponents (kendo)
spare time; free time; leisure time
hall; large room; reception room
being left out; ostracism; exclusion from a group
thinning out; pruning; culling; sub-sampling · infanticide
peep at; catch a glimpse of
among rocks; rocky crevice; between rocks
during the morning; in the morning
renting a room; lodging