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What is the difference between the words 間【あいだ】 and 間【ま】 ? Both seem to have
the basic meaning _space or time interval_.
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2014-05-23T14:04:18.053
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2014-05-26T06:03:08.740
2014-05-25T20:05:50.243
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question
words readings
Difference between 間【あいだ】 and 間【ま】
As a part of a sino-japanese word you get カン・ケン readings as you suggest.

My sense is that if you just see the character lying about somewhere, the
reading is あいだ.

The [Japanese wiktionary](http://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%96%93) has some
helpful ideas in its list of meanings for the character in Japanese, namely 4,
6, and 7 where they think it only works for ま

> 6.部屋。

when it means a room, it is always ま

>   1. めぐりあわせ、運、タイミング。
>

When it refers to timing it is always ま

As a parenthetical, it can also be pronounced ま in a "compound": [合間]{あいま}.
Cf. all of the room words ([居間]{いま}). And even あいだ in [間柄]{あいだがら}

There's also a set list of phrases where ま seems to be used:

```

    間に合う
    いつの間
    束の間
    
```

But at least I would say the character used for native Japanese words is あいだ
unless otherwise known to be ま.
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answer
Both readings can mean "between" (see meanings 1, 2, 4, and 5 of
[_aida_](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/949/m0u/) and first meaning of
the noun [_ma_](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/206542/m0u/%E3%81%BE/)).
But _aida_ seems to be more common to express a space between two (or more)
things, while _ma_ expresses a space as such, or the type of partition of a
space (see the second and third meaning of the noun _ma_ ), such as a floor
plan.

_aida_ can carry the temporal meaning "during, while" (meaning 3 of _aida_ ),
and following a nominal marked with _-no_ it can mean "among" (meaning 6 of
_aida_ ).

_ma_ can also express a period of time, as in the above-mentioned 間もなく 'ma-mo
na-ku', or 間に合う 'ma-ni a-u'. It can, more specifically, express the moments
during a conversation when nothing is said (meaning 6 of the noun _ma_ ).  
There are further, specialized meaning of both words, and there are, of
course, also some instances of grammaticalized use (the temporal meaning
'during, while' of _aida_ would fall in this class, imo).

To summarize, _aida_ means mostly "between", while _ma_ means "space", its way
of partitioning, and "period of time".
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answer