매튜의 한국어 연습 블로그

This is a good one to learn. If you've never taken an interest in 한자 (Hanja) before, make this one your first. It's a doosy and it's everywhere. There are a few 중 out there but this one is the more common one known as:

가운데 중 = 中
가운데, 안, 속, 사이, 진행, 마음, 맞다, 곧다, 바르다, 뚫다, 고르다
It essentially means the middle of center of something (among other meanings)

Common hanja examples:
중국 = 中國 = middle country = China
중학생 = 中學生 = middle learning life = junior high student
중 = 中 = (medium sized (i.e. meal)

What might perplex the most is its substitution for the ~고있다 verb ending. To emphasize or simply express in a shorter way that something is happening now (present progressive) then instead of using ~고있다 use ~는중이다.

Examples:
일하는 중이에요 I'm working
가는 중이야 I'm going
공부하는 중이야 I'm studying
책을 읽는 중이에요 I'm in the middle of reading a book.
통화 중이에요 The line is busy.
수업 중에 자지마세요 Please don't sleep during class.
버스를 기다리는 중이에요 I'm waiting for the bus.
나 영어 공부 열심히 하는 중 I'm diligently studying English
CCTV녹화중 You are being recording on closed circuit television right now.

In my search of helpful hanja, I found a neat little way to express approximation in time, especially in regards to months:

初 = 초 = near the beginning of the month
中 = 중순 = near the middle of the month
末 = 말 = near the end of the month


초 = 初等學校 = 초등학교 = "beginning rank school faith" = Elementary school
중 = 中學校 = 중학교 = "middle school faith" = Junior high school
고 = 高等學校 = 고등학교 = "high rank school faith" = High school
*("high school" uses a different hanja)


Examples:

10월말이나 11월초에 이사할 겁니다.
I'm going to move sometime either in the last part of October or the early part of November

2월초에 취직하기 좀 어려울것같아요.
Finding a job in the beginning of February seems kind of difficult...

5중순은 졸업식 시즌이야.
The middle of May is graduation season.

한국에서는 5월중순이 공휴일이 인가요?
In Korea, isn't there a public holiday in the middle of May?

아니요. 5월초에 어린이날있는데...
No. In the beginning of May is Children's Day...

올해 1월중순 엄청 추웠죠?
Wasn't the middle of January this year cold?

7월말에 보너스를 받을 거에요.
In July, I'm going to get a bonus check.

8월중순이나 말에 미국에 이사 할 겁니다.
I'm going to move to America either int he middle of the end of August.

11월 말에 떠나자
Let's leave in late November