いつの間に

Japanese

Kanji in this term
間
ま Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) いつのまに [ìtsú nó má ní] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [it͡sɨ no̞ ma̠ ɲ̟i]

Conjunction

いつの間(ま)に • (itsu no ma ni) 

1. when, at what point

   え？彼(かれ)氏(し)？いつの間(ま)に？

   E? Kareshi? Itsu no ma ni?

   Huh? A boyfriend? Since when?

Synonyms

• いつ (itsu)

Derived terms

• いつの間(ま)にか (itsu no ma ni ka)

References

1. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN