What is the difference between 〜ている and 〜中?


When we want to expresss that something is in progress, we can use the
progressive form:

> 勉強している
>
> studying

But another way of expressing a progressing action is by adding 中 to the noun:

> 仕事中
>
> working

I want to know the difference between these two. Can I say 勉強中 or 仕事している to
achieve the same meaning? If I can't, is there a pattern to this? I mean like
what kind of nouns can I add 中 to?

I know that 勉強している is a verb while 仕事中 is an adverb but I don't care about the
part of speech. I'm only considering it as a standalone word right now.




To me, there is no big difference between 勉強しています and 勉強中です. It is just
personal preference. [中]{ちゅう} can create idioms when combined with other nouns
such as [工事中]{こうじちゅう} which means _under construction / repair_ and you should
note that it is a noun, not an adverb.

[中]{ちゅう} means _middle_. If you are in the middle of something, you are doing
something. Therefore, 私は勉強中です is translated to

> I am in the middle of studying. / I am studying.

If you use [中]{ちゅう}, you can make the sentence more concise, but you have to
note that it can't be used with all Japanese nouns.




To me, there is no big difference between 勉強しています and 勉強中です. It is just
personal preference. [中]{ちゅう} can create idioms when combined with other nouns
such as [工事中]{こうじちゅう} which means _under construction / repair_ and you should
note that it is a noun, not an adverb.

[中]{ちゅう} means _middle_. If you are in the middle of something, you are doing
something. Therefore, 私は勉強中です is translated to

> I am in the middle of studying. / I am studying.

If you use [中]{ちゅう}, you can make the sentence more concise, but you have to
note that it can't be used with all Japanese nouns.

