Japanese word

宙

Pronunciation

Romajichū

Meaning

  • nounmidair

Example

ボールが宙に浮かびます。bō ru ga chū ni u ka bi ma su

The ball floats in midair.

Illustration for 宙 (midair)

More examples

風船が宙をゆっくり漂っています。fū sen ga chū o yu kku ri tadayo tte i ma su

A balloon is slowly drifting through the air.

Core concept

Describes something existing above the ground without being supported by it.

Common phrases

  • 宙に浮くchū ni u ku

    float in midair

  • 宙に浮かぶchū ni u ka bu

    be suspended in midair

  • 宙を舞うchū o ma u

    dance through the air

Similar words

空中kūchū: The open space above the ground through which something can move or in which it can remain suspended.

Definition in Japanese

地面や物から離れた空中の位置や状態。ji men ya mono ka ra hana re ta kū chū no i chi ya jō tai

Word origin

宙 (chū, "space") is a Sino-Japanese borrowing from Chinese, where the character denotes the sky or open space; Japanese also uses it alone for something in midair.

Usage tips

  • In modern Japanese, 宙に浮く (chū ni uku) can describe a plan or agreement that lacks a settled basis, not only an object physically floating in midair.

Other meanings

  • airnoun
  • spacenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word