Meaning

Primary

Inside

Alternative

Within

Word Type

noun, の adjective

Explanation

The kanji and the word are exactly the same, so this means inside or within.

While refers to the inside of something in a basic, positional sense, tends to express a more abstract version of "inside," like 心の内を話す (express your inner feelings) or 温かい内に飲む (drink it while it's still warm).

It also carries an implied contrast with (outside), so it's often used to talk about yourself or your group, like うちの犬 (our dog) or うちの会社 (the company I work for). In this case, it's almost always written in hiragana as うち — which is why we used it like that in these examples (but hey, now you know where that うち is coming from!).

Reading

うち
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it should use the kun'yomi reading. When learning the kanji, you didn't learn that reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you with this word:

If someone were to peek inside your heart, they would say, "Ooh, cheese (うち)!" Most people's hearts are full of emotions and crippling insecurities and stuff, but yours has nothing but cheese within it. "Ooh, cheese… I love you so." That's all your heart's inner voice is ever saying.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 内まわり

    inner track, inner lane

    内ポケット

    inside pocket

    内一つ

    one amongst several

Context Sentences

このジャケット、内ポケットがいっぱいついてるよ。

This jacket has a lot of inside pockets.

このマスク、内がわはピンクなんです。

The inside of this mask is pink.

心の内をメッセージにしました。

I turned what was in my heart into a message.

Kanji Composition