Difference between maai and ma

by Olga
(Ukraine)

Can you please describe the difference between maai and ma?


What is kanji for ma and maai and what does each of them mean?

What is closer to initial meaning of ma: timing or time sense?

Thank you

Answer: Thank you for your question.

Ma: 間 (hope you can see the kanji) can be

- Timing,

- Space,

- Rhythm,

- Distance.

Maai: 間合い is physical and spacious distance. Most of the time, it is used as “distance” in kendo.

“What is closer to initial meaning of ma”: So this depends on the context in which the word is used. But if it does not mean “distance” it means “timing”.

Hope this helps.

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