Iroiro — slicing time in Japanese

English will say start, middle, end for a movie, a month, a dynasty, and a homework session, then walk away.

Japanese asks a ruder question first: are you cutting a plot, a calendar, a year, an era, or a vibe? The English column in your notes is one map. The Japanese column is several terrains. Use 上旬 on a film and you have scheduled the climax into ten-day municipal blocks.

The trick is not “learn eleven words.” It is: name the shape you are slicing.

English	Pattern	Neighbours	Try this
the start of	の始め / の始まり	最初、出だし	これが春の始まりだ。
the first half of	の前半	(not 上旬)	映画の前半
the middle of	の半ば	中盤、途中、折り返し	映画の中盤
the last half of	の後半	(not 下旬)	映画の後半
the last of	の最後	末、暮れ	2015年の末
the late … of	の末期	大詰め、終盤	江戸の末期
just before	の直前	間際、ぎりぎり、目前	締め切りの直前
immediately after	の直後		宿題をした直後にでかけた。
until this …	この…までに	いっぱい、終わりまでに	今月末までに / 今月いっぱいで
for a while	しばらくの間		しばらく休憩します。
at its height	一番盛り上がっている時	最高潮、最盛期	桜は今が最盛期だ。

Walk one Friday through those cuts.

1. の始め（はじめ）

the start of · 最初 · 出だし · 始まり

これが春の始まりだ。 — This is the start of spring.

You wrote の始め. That is the pattern: stick の始め / の始まり on a noun and you get “the start of X.” Spring prefers 始まり — the season starts happening. 始めに is “first,” as in a speech. 物語の始め is fine. 最初 is an ordinal: the first item in a lineup.

• CJK: 始 = 始 shǐ. Noun of 始まる. Mandarin 开始 / 开端. Canto 開始.
• 最初 = first one. 最初のシーン = the first scene. 最初の春 = the first spring of your life in Japan, not “the start of spring.”
• 出だし = the opening stretch. A race, a story, a song. Casual, a bit sporty. Not for 春.

The movie starts. You are still in 始まり. Do not call it 最初 unless you mean shot one.

2. の前半（ぜんはん）

the first half of · halves — not 上旬

映画の前半 — the first half of the movie.

Intermission. You are still in act one. 前半 / 後半 are halves of anything that splits: a match, a book, a concert, even 20世紀前半.

上旬 is a different sport. 上旬 / 中旬 / 下旬 are ten-day bricks of a calendar month (1–10, 11–20, 21–end). Same characters as Chinese, which is why they feel tempting. They are illegal on 映画.

Worse trap, because English lies too: “the first half of March” is days 1–15-ish. That is closer to 三月前半. 三月上旬 is only the 1st through the 10th. A half is not a 旬.

• CJK: 前半 = 前半 qiánbàn. Same word, same “half.” 上旬 stays a date word in both languages. Do not calque it onto a plot.

3. の半ば（なかば）

the middle of · 中盤 · 途中 · 折り返し · (中旬 only for months)

映画の中盤 — the middle of the movie.

Four middles, four jobs:

• 半ば — midway with a bit of ink on it. 人生の半ば. 六月半ば.
• 中盤 — the middle stretch of a match or a film. Plot and sport.
• 途中 — along the way, not done. 途中でやめた. You left.
• 折り返し — the turnaround. A race’s halfway, or “I’ll call you back” (折り返します).

中旬 again: 三月中旬. Not 映画の中旬.

4. の後半（こうはん）

the last half of · second half — not 下旬

映画の後半 — the last half of the movie.

Pair of 前半. The twist: 後半 also does “the latter part” of a career or a century (20世紀後半). Still a half. Still not 下旬.

下旬 = days 21–28/31. Put 下旬 on a movie and the climax has a municipal calendar.

Credits. The film is over. Now the room is a calendar.

5. の最後（さいご）

the last of · 末 · 暮れ

2015年の末。 — the end of 2015.

Someone shows a photo. “End of 2015.” Three endings, three textures:

• 最後 — the last item or last moment. 最後のシーン. 最後まで. Emotional, countable. The last scene of the movie you just watched.
• 末（すえ / まつ） — the calendar stub. 年末、月末、年末年始. 2015年の末. The tail left on the stick.
• 暮れ（くれ） — dusk as weather. 年の暮れ. Street lights, 忘年会, 暮れの買い物. 日暮れ is actual sunset. You do not say 映画の暮れ.

CJK: 末 = 末. 最后 = 最後. 暮 = 暮 (岁暮). If the photo is just a date, 末. If the photo is December atmosphere, 暮れ. If it is the last frame, 最後.

6. の末期（まっき）

the late period of · 大詰め · 終盤

江戸の末期。 — the late Edo period.

A history clip after the movie. Late Edo, not “the last of Edo” in the 最後 sense.

• 末期 is heavy. Late stage of an era, a disease, a regime. 江戸時代末期. 末期がん. Do not use it for the last twenty minutes of a comedy unless you are being grim on purpose.
• 終盤 is the endgame: shogi, a match, a series. Lighter.
• 大詰め（おおづめ） is the kabuki last act — everything tightening. Your note’s 大づめ is this word.

CJK: 末期 is the same scary compound in Chinese. 终盘 / 終盤 is games. Late Edo → 末期. Last two episodes → 終盤.

7. の直前（ちょくぜん）

just before · 間際 · ぎりぎり · 目前

締め切りの直前 — just before the deadline.

Phone buzzes. Deadline. Snap to an event, not a season.

• 直前 — immediately before a thing that happens. 出発の直前. 締め切りの直前.
• 間際（まぎわ） — on the verge, almost too late. 出発間際.
• ぎりぎり — scraping through with no margin. ぎりぎり間に合った. Mood, not a の-phrase.
• 目前（もくぜん） — staring you in the face. 締め切りが目前だ.

CJK: 直前 ≠ 之前 (any time before). 直前 is the moment before. 目前 ≈ 眼前.

8. の直後（ちょくご）

immediately after

宿題をした直後にでかけた。 — I went out right after doing my homework.

Mirror of 直前. The door is still swinging.

• Wants a completed event: した直後, 到着の直後.
• Not 後で (later, whenever). Not あとでね.
• Your kana でかけた is the same verb as 出かけた.

CJK: 之后 can be any later. 直後 is the first few beats after.

9. この…までに

until this … · いっぱい · 終わりまでに

今月末までに / 今月いっぱいで — by the end of this month / through this month.

Rent is due. English “until this month” is mush. Japanese splits cut vs through.

• までに is a deadline: the work must exist by that instant. 今月末までに出して.
• いっぱいで is “for the remaining fullness of this period.” 今月いっぱいで辞めます = I work through this month, then I quit. 今日いっぱいは無理.
• 終わりまでに is the same deadline shape: 今日の終わりまでに.

Classic pair, same まで:

• 5時まで働く = work until 5 (duration).
• 5時までに来る = be here by 5 (deadline).

Chinese 以前 / 截止 often collapses them. Japanese does not.

10. しばらくの間（しばらくのあいだ）

for a while

しばらく休憩します。 — I’ll rest for a while.

The Friday shrugs. No clock. しばらく is a pause you refuse to measure. しばらくお待ちください is hold music. の間 is optional padding: しばらくの間待った. しばらく alone already means “for a bit.”

CJK: 一会儿 / 暂时. If you can count it, it is not しばらく.

11. 一番盛り上がっている時

at its height · 最高潮 · 最盛期

桜は今が最盛期だ。 — The cherries are at their peak right now.

パーティーは今が最高潮だ。 — The party is at its climax.

English “height” covers both. Japanese will not.

• 最盛期（さいせいき） — peak season of a thing that blooms or booms: 桜, 観光, a career. The cherries, not the bass drop.
• 最高潮（さいこうちょう） — peak excitement. Tide metaphor (潮). A concert, a rally, a plot twist.
• 一番盛り上がっている時 — spoken pointing-finger: “this is the bit where the room is pumping.” 盛り上がる is the verb of a room getting loud.

Mix them and you get “the cherry blossoms were at fever pitch.”

How to pick without thinking

Name the shape.

• Halves (film, match, book) → 前半 / 中盤 / 後半.
• Months → 上旬 / 中旬 / 下旬. Ten-day bricks. Only dates. Not “first half of March.”
• Years / month-ends → 末. Year-end atmosphere → 暮れ.
• Last scene, last try → 最後.
• Dying era, terminal stage → 末期. Endgame → 終盤 / 大詰め.
• Snap to an event → 直前 / 直後.
• Deadline vs through-the-period → までに vs いっぱいで.
• Unmeasured pause → しばらく.
• Peak → 最盛期 if it grows; 最高潮 if it cheers.

The English column is the map. The Japanese column is the terrain. 上旬 on a movie is how you fall off.