真っ
Completely, Exactly, Right
Structure
真(っ) + Noun
真ん + ま(*)・な(*):
真ん中、真ん前、真ん丸
真っ + か(*)・さ(*)・しゃ(*):
真っ黄色、真っ白、真っ先、真っ正直
真っ + は(*)(**):
真っ平、真っ裸
Exceptions:
青い ￫ 真っ青
赤い ￫ 真っ赤
(*) column in the kana chart
(**) H sound becomes P sound
Explanation
The Japanese prefix ま, which originates from the kanji 真 (true), is added to words to emphasize the idea of 'utterly', 'right in the', or 'purely' (A). The way 真 changes its form depends on the first sound of the word it attaches to. Specifically, it depends on which kana row the initial character of the following word belongs to. For instance, ま is part of the ま, み, む, め, も row.
If the following word begins with a kana from the ま row or the な row, 真 will change to 真ん.
- 駅の真ん前に新しいカフェができた。A new cafe opened up right in front of the station.
- 道の真ん中を歩くのは危ないですよ。It's dangerous to walk right in the middle of the road, you know.
If the following word begins with a kana from the か row, the さ row, or a しゃ sound, 真 will change to 真っ.
- 部屋の電気が消えて真っ暗になった。The lights in the room went out, and it became pitch black.
- この道を真っ直ぐ行くと、駅があります。If you go straight down this road, you'll find the station.
- 私のシャツは真っ白だから、汚さないように気をつけている。My shirt is pure white, so I'm being careful not to get it dirty.
When attached to a word that starts with a kana from the は row, 真 becomes 真っ, and the initial は-row sound of the next word changes to a 'P' sound.
- 彼は怒って紙を真っ二つに破った。He got angry and tore the paper right in two.
- 真っ昼間に花火を見ても、あまりきれいじゃないね。Even if you watch fireworks in the middle of the day, they aren't very pretty, are they?
Caution
A few words do not follow the typical sound change patterns when the 真 prefix is added. Here are the main exceptions.
When combined with 青い, 真 becomes 真っ, and 青い changes to 青.
- 彼は気分が悪そうで、顔が真っ青だった。He looked like he felt sick; his face was deathly pale.
When combined with 赤い, 真 becomes 真っ, and 赤い changes to 赤.
- 夕日で西の空が真っ赤に染まった。The western sky was dyed a brilliant red by the sunset.
Examples
テーブルの真ん中にきれいな花が置いてあります。
There are beautiful flowers placed right in the middle of the table.
今夜の月は真ん丸で、とても明るいですね。
Tonight's moon is perfectly round and very bright, isn't it?
仕事が終わったら、真っ直ぐ家に帰ります。
When I finish work, I'm going straight home.
林檎を真っ二つに割って、二人で食べた。
I split the apple right in two and shared it with another person.
停電で、部屋の中が真っ暗になった。
The inside of the room became pitch black due to the power outage.
みんなの前で褒められて、顔が真っ赤になりました。
I was praised in front of everyone, so my face turned bright red.
彼は怖い映画を見て、顔が真っ青になった。
He watched a scary movie and his face turned ghastly pale.
カーテンを閉めると、この部屋は昼間でも真っ暗だ。
If you close the curtains, this room is completely dark even during the day.
食事の真っ最中に電話が鳴って、びっくりした。
The phone rang right in the middle of my meal, which surprised me.
夕日が海に沈むとき、空が真っ赤に染まった。
When the evening sun set into the sea, the sky was dyed a brilliant red.
新しいスニーカーは真っ白で、汚さないように気を付けている。
My new sneakers are pure white, so I'm being careful not to get them dirty.
公園で遊んでいたら、服が泥で真っ黒になった。
While I was playing in the park, my clothes got completely black with mud.
ベルが鳴ると、彼は真っ先に教室から飛び出した。
When the bell rang, he was the very first one to run out of the classroom.