1.
middle of the month; mid-month
The middle portion of a calendar month, roughly the 10th to 20th. Combines 月 ("month") with 半ば ("middle, halfway point"). Used both as a time expression in itself and to anchor schedules: "by mid-month," "around the middle of the month," etc.
The beginning of the month is busy, so let's set the meeting for around mid-month.
月半ば is a fairly common time expression for the middle stretch of a calendar month. The 半ば element is the same word that appears in many "middle of X" expressions: 年半ば ("middle of the year"), 道半ば ("halfway along the road / partway done").
Forms
Common collocations
- 月半ばに: in mid-month
- 月半ばまでに: by mid-month
- 月半ばを過ぎる: to pass the middle of the month
- 月半ばあたり: around mid-month
- 月半ば頃: roughly mid-month
Related words
- 月初め / 月初: beginning of the month
- 月末: end of the month
- 中旬: middle ten days of the month (a more formal/precise term, used in news and documents)
- 上旬: first ten days of the month
- 下旬: last ten days of the month
- 年半ば: middle of the year
Usage
- 月半ば is conversational and slightly soft compared to 中旬, which is more precise and used in business writing, schedules, and weather forecasts. "6月中旬" is the natural way to write "mid-June" in a printed schedule, while "月半ば" is more typical in speech.
- 半ば can also be used as a noun on its own meaning "halfway, in the middle of doing," as in 仕事半ばで帰る ("to leave with the work half-done").
Related Words
Compare:
月初め (beginning of the month)
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月初 (beginning of the month)
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月末 (end of the month)
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中旬 (middle ten days of the month)
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上旬 (first ten days of the month)
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下旬 (last ten days of the month)