This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word uchi, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, alternative expressions, and more!
Contents
What does uchi mean?
The Japanese word uchi (内、うち) means inside or interior. It can also mean we or our when referring to one’s in-group such as a company or school. Uchi is usually (but not always) written in hiragana rather than kanji.
Uchi can also mean home in certain contexts. Finally, women sometimes use uchi to say I or myself in Kansai dialect (beyond the scope of this article).
Below, we take a look at some examples of the various ways to use uchi in Japanese, as well as a handy expression that includes it.
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last. I have also highlighted the new word in bold.
Uchi meaning 1: Inside
As mentioned above, one meaning of uchi is inside or interior. Uchi commonly appears within words such as uchigawa (内側、うちがわ), which also means inside!
内ポケットにお金があった。
Uchi pokketo ni okane ga atta.
うちポケットにおかねがあった。
There was money in the inside pocket.
傘の内側は綺麗だね。
Kasa no uchigawa wa kirei da ne.
かさのうちがわはきれいだね。
The inside of the umbrella is pretty, isn’t it?
Uchi meaning 2: We/our
Uchi stands for we or our when you are taking as an insider of a certain group (to an outsider). For example, you might be talking about your company to an acquaintance who doesn’t work there.
うちの会社は給与がよくない。
Uchi no kaisha wa kyuyo ga yokunai.
うちのかいしゃはきゅうよがよくない。
The salaries are not good at our company.
うちの学校は宿題が多いけど、悪くはないよ。
Uchi no gakkou wa shukudai ga ooi kedo, waruku wa nai yo.
うちのがっこうはしゅくだいがおおいけど、わるくはないよ。
There’s a lot of homework at our school, but it’s not too bad.
Uchi meaning 3: Home
朝はずっとうちにいた。
Asa wa zutto uchi ni ita.
あさはずっとうちにいた。
I spent the whole morning at home.
うちに帰りたいけど、まだ仕事が残っています。
Uchi ni kaeritai kedo, mada shigoto ga nokkoteimasu.
うちにかえりたいけど、まだしごとがのこっています。
I want to go home, but there’s still work to do.
The meaning of the expression uchi ni
Uchi ni (うちに) is a really useful phrase in Japanese conversation, which means while or alternatively, while such and such is true. When the sentence is negative uchi ni can mean before, or before such and such happens.
The above might sound complicated, but it really isn’t. This is one of those phrases that’s much easier to remember with context than with explanations, so here are some examples.
若いうちに楽しいことをしよう！
Wakai uchi ni tanoshii koto wo shiyou!
わかいうちにたのしいことをしよう！
Let’s do fun stuff while we’re young!
暖かいうちに食べてね。
Atatakai uchi ni tabete ne.
あたたかいうちにたべてね。
Do eat it while it’s hot.
何も言えないうちにお父さんが怒った。
Nanimo ienai uchi ni otousan ga okotta.
なにもいえないうちにおとうさんがおこった。
My dad got mad before I could say anything.
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