中途(ちゅうと)

中途(ちゅうと) means midway or halfway through a process. It often carries a connotation of incompleteness or stopping before reaching the end.

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

• 中途(ちゅうと)半端(はんぱ): half-finished, halfhearted, incomplete
• 中途(ちゅうと)採用(さいよう): mid-career hiring (as opposed to 新卒(しんそつ)採用(さいよう))
• 中途(ちゅうと)退学(たいがく): dropping out of school
• 中途(ちゅうと)で止(や)める: to quit halfway

SIMILAR WORDS:

• 途中(とちゅう): on the way, midway (neutral, no negative connotation)
• 半(なか)ば: halfway, middle
• 中途(ちゅうと) typically implies something was left unfinished, while 途中(とちゅう) simply marks a point along the way

NOTE:
中途(ちゅうと)採用(さいよう) is an important business term in Japan, where most companies traditionally hire through 新卒(しんそつ)一括(いっかつ)採用(さいよう) (mass hiring of new graduates).