This Hanja is 중.
It represents the “middle,” “center,” or “inside.” The character originally showed a fluttering flag planted right in the center of a military camp, signifying the ‘central’ point.
Since it means the “center,” it naturally expanded to include meanings like the “inside” or the “heart” of something. In modern Korean, it’s also frequently used to indicate that an action is “in progress.”
Let’s look at some Sino-Korean words using 中 (중).
- 중심 (中心) center, core
- 중국 (中國) China
- 중독 (中毒) addiction, poisoning
- 중간 (中間) middle, midway
- 중립 (中立) neutrality
- 중순 (中旬) the middle ten days of a month
- 중성 (中性) neutral (gender/chemistry)
- 수중 (水中) underwater
- 중식 (中食) lunch, Chinese food
- 중지 (中指) middle finger
- 중급 (中級) intermediate level
- 중년 (中年) middle age
It is also used to describe a state of “being in the middle of” something:
- 부재중 (不在中) out of office/away
- 재직중 (在職中) currently employed
And here are some common nouns and verbs:
- 집중력 (集中力) concentration, focus
- 중고품 (中古品) used goods, second-hand item
- 중학교 (中學校) middle school
- 중학생 (中學生) middle school student
- 중립국 (中立國) neutral country
- 식중독 (食中毒) food poisoning
- 중산층 (中產層) middle class
- 중단하다 (中斷-) to interrupt, to stop, to suspend
- 적중하다 (的中-) to hit the target, to be spot on
- 중계하다 (中繼-) to relay, to broadcast
- 열중하다 (熱中-) to be absorbed in, to be immersed in
- 집중하다 (集中-) to concentrate, to focus
- 어중간하다 (於中間-) to be uncertain, to be halfway, to be ambiguous
Now you’re in the “middle” of mastering Korean!
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