合間 (aima: time interval) interval + interval
Jim Breen’s online dictionary offers the following sample sentence with 合間:
次の列車までに２時間の合間があった。
Tsugi no ressha made ni nijikan no aima ga atta.
There was a two-hour interval to the next train.Well, that’s the translation on his site. I think English speakers would phrase this more naturally as, “The next train would come in two hours.” or “There was a two-hour wait till the next train.”
Here’s a breakdown of the kanji:
次 (tsugi: next)
列車 (ressha: (ordinary) train) row + car
２時間 (nijikan: two hours) two + hour + interval
Here’s a second sample usage from Breen:
仕事の合間に。
Shigoto no aima ni.
At one’s leisure; in one’s spare moments.仕事 (shigoto: work) to serve + business
