I’m in was in China for a week. Hopefully I’ll be able to publish these prewritten posts in a timely manner.

As a dedication to the Middle Kingdom, this week’s kanji is 中, pronounced ちゅう or なか.

A couple of very useful phrases with 中 are:

Xの中(なか)では、〜　Within/Among the category X,

行ったことある国の中では、日本が一番興味を持っています。
Of all the countries I’ve been to, I have the most interest in Japan.

X中(ちゅう) where X can be nearly any two-character compound that can act as a verb. For example:

実施中 (じっしちゅう) something is underway (e.g. a sale, campaign, experiment)
勉強中 (べんきょうちゅう) someone is studying
就職活動中 (しゅうしょくかつどうちゅう) someone is looking for a job
募集中 (ぼしゅうちゅう) someone is looking for something
受付中 (うけつけちゅう) reception is open for something (e.g. applications, orders)

This is a quick way to describe what state something or someone is in (“amidst” if you want to try and associate it with the 中). Another example: I am currently was 旅行中 and you are were 仕事中 (although this last one sounds slightly fishy to me).