合間・合い間|あいまaima[0]heiban (flat)

1. no-adjectiveinterval; break; pause; spare moment
   勉強べんきょうの合間あいまに私はテレビをみた。↗

   I watched television during a break in my studies.

• Synonym絶え間たえまNeutralLike 「合間」, a gap — e.g. 「雲の絶え間」 — but for a break in something continuous, often as 「絶え間なく」 (unbroken); 「合間」 is usable free time between activities.
• Relatedその間そのあいだNeutralA noun and adverb covering the whole duration of a period, as in 「その間に済ませる」; 「合間」 is a short gap in the middle of an activity or between two things.

Use 「合間」 for a short spare moment in the middle of an activity or between two things, as in 「仕事の合間に休む」. Use 「その間」 for an entire period. 「絶え間」 is a break in something continuous, often as 「絶え間なく」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （空間的くうかんてきな）あいだ、すきま。
2. （しばしば、畳語じょうご"あいまあいま"となって、時間的じかんてきな）あいだ、いとま、てすき、ひま。
3. 時々ときどき、時折ときおり、時とき偶たま。