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How to say 'While' or 'Beside' in Japanese | 傍ら

Wondering how to say 'While' or 'Beside' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for While or Beside is 'Katawara', written as 傍ら in Japanese.'While' or 'Beside' in hiragana is かたわら.

    word

    傍ら

    Meaning

    While, Beside

    Reading

    かたわら

    katawara

    Kanji

    傍Side, Nearby

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '傍ら (かたわら)' has two distinct meanings. The first meaning is 'beside', referring to a physical location next to something or someone. For example: She sat beside the river「彼女は川の傍らに座った」(かのじょはかわのかたわらにすわった). The second meaning is 'while', indicating that an action is happening simultaneously with another. For example: He worked while studying「彼は勉強の傍ら働いていた」(かれはべんきょうのかたわらはたらいていた). This dual meaning makes '傍ら' a versatile word in Japanese, used both spatially and temporally.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    7

    Frequency

    3705

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 傍ら

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    傍

    Meaning

    Side, Nearby

Hiragana in the Word 傍ら

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

  • hiragana

    ら

    Reading

    Ra

Learn the Word 傍ら

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What does 'Katawara' (傍ら) mean?

'Katawara' means 'While' or 'Beside' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.