I really need help grasping the concept of 'ma' (間).

I know that this is essentially negative space, or the interval in between,
the pause, etc. I can see how this might be seen in art, i.e. Miyazaki's
films, but was wondering if anyone else can give me a few concrete examples? I
need to explain it to a large group of English speakers, and I know they might
not grasp it easily. I want to flesh out my understanding of the concept in
order to do so.

Thanks for the help!

Brock
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2016-09-26T16:03:16.223
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2016-09-27T16:24:00.937
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meaning
Can someone help me grasp the concept of ma (間)?
間 is a word which a native Japanese speaker uses or hears almost every day.
Usually it just means "time", "interval", "space", "room", etc. For example:

>   * 締め切りまで **間** がある。 There is some more _time_ left till the deadline.
>   * **間** もなく東京です。 Arriving at Tokyo Station _soon_ (lit. "in no time")
>   * 行と行の **間** をあける to leave _spaces_ between lines, to double-space
>

Unsurprisingly, such a basic word has dozens of idiomatic expressions which
might make little sense if you translated it too literally:

>   * 間が悪い (lit. "time is bad") to be done at the wrong time
>   * 間に合う (lit. "match the time") to make something on time
>   * 間男 (lit. "in-between man") paramour, secret (male) lover
>

But these may not be of particular interest to native English speakers who
don't want to learn Japanese.

So 間 is not really a cool or special word to native Japanese speakers. I'm
sometimes surprised to see mundane Japanese words are introduced to foreign
countries as something mysterious and cool. For example, see: [What is the
exact meaning of "kaizen"?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/18529/5010)

* * *

That said, I am vaguely aware that some people have found the concept of 間 as
unique to Japan. I found this long article in English: [MA: Place, Space,
Void](http://www.kyotojournal.org/the-journal/culture-arts/ma-place-space-
void/). The article also explains how 間 is important in certain fields of
Japanese art. Honestly speaking, I'm not totally convinced that 間 is such a
difficult word, but I think the linked article covers almost everything that
you might need.
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answer