Have you prepared your 母の日 (haha no hi, Mother’s Day) gift yet?

母の日は毎年５月の第２日曜日で、今年は5月12日です (Haha no hi wa maitoshi go-gatsu no dai-ni nichiyōbi de, kotoshi wa go-gatsu jūni-nichi desu, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May every year, and falls on May 12 this year).

Before work kicks up again after the ゴールデンウィーク (gōruden uīku, Golden Week) holidays, you may want to start thinking of how you want to celebrate. 忘れないうちに贈り物を準備しましょう (Wasurenai uchi ni okurimono o junbi shimashō, Let’s prepare a present before we forget).

The conjunctive particle うちに (uchi ni) can be used with a verb in its positive or negative dictionary form. By adding うちに to the back of 忘れない (wasurenai, to not forget) in the previous paragraph, we get 忘れないうちに — which literally means “during the time you haven’t forgotten,” but is translated as “before you forget.”

Another 母の日-related example might be, お母さんが気づかないうちに、朝ご飯を作ってあげましょう (Okāsan ga kizukanai uchi ni, asa gohan o tsukutte-agemashō, Before Mom notices, let’s make breakfast for her), while an example using the verb 降る (furu, to fall), which is quite common with this structure, might be, 雨が降らないうちに帰った方がいいよ (Ame ga furanai uchi ni kaetta hō ga ii yo, You’d better get home before it starts raining).

Another way to convey the idea of doing something “before” is to use the 前に (mae ni) structure. While うち is generally used to mean “within” or “inside,” 前 (mae) is the kanji for “front.” Therefore, 雨が降らないうちに can also be expressed by saying 雨が降る前に (ame ga furu mae ni, before it rains).

Also expressing the idea of “while” or “during” is 間に (aida ni), so 雨が降らないうちに, which means “while it is not raining,” is essentially the same as 晴れている間に (harete-iru aida ni, while the sky is still clear). 間 (Aida) means “space” or “interval,” and when the に directional marker is added to it, 間に gives the idea of “in this interval” or “during.”

One thing you want to keep in mind, though, is that うちに connotes a sense of urgency, so these two structures are not always interchangeable: 電車に乗っている間に本を読んだ (Densha ni notte-iru aida ni hon o yonda, I read a book while I was on the train) gives the impression that you simply read a book on the train, but 電車を降りないうちに本を読んだ (Densha o orinai uchi ni hon o yonda, Before I got off the train I read a book) sounds odd.

This explains why うちに is used in the earlier weather-related sentence — you wouldn’t want to get soaked. After, getting home you can follow up with, 雨が降るか降らないかのうちに家に着いた (Ame ga furu ka furanaika no uchi ni ie ni tsuita, I made it home right when it started raining). Here, うちに captures the narrow moment when it was either going to rain or not rain — 降るか降らないか (furu ka furanai ka).

Getting back to Mother’s Day, Japanese flower shops have been in the process of a gradual shift to the staple gift of カーネーション (kānēshon, carnations) over the past few years. We’re also seeing more gift arrangements of local 紫陽花 (ajisai, hydrangeas), which come in a wide range of colors and shapes, and are said to be easy to take care of.

栃木県は紫陽花の需要が高まっているうちに新しい品種を全国に広めようとしています (Tochigi-ken wa ajisai no juyō ga takamatte-iru uchi ni atarashii hinshu o zenkoku ni hiromeyō to shite-imasu, Tochigi Prefecture is going to spread new varieties of hydrangeas nationwide while demand is rising). In fact, Tochigi announced that it has produced three original cultivars of pink hydrangeas in the hope of marketing them 需要が高まっているうちに (juyō ga takamatte-iru uchi ni, while demand is high). 売り切れる前に紫陽花を買った方がいい (Urikireru mae ni, ajisai o katta hō ga ii, It’s better to buy the hydrangeas before they are sold out).

Along with your flower gift, a 手紙 (tegami, letter) and 感謝の言葉 (kansha no kotoba, words of gratitude) are always appreciated on 母の日. In addition to the basic phrases like, いつもありがとう (itsumo arigatō, thank you always) and いつまでも元気で長生きしてね (itsu made mo genki de nagaiki shite ne, stay healthy and live long), you may want to try politer expressions if you write to your 義理のお母さん (giri no okāsan, mother-in-law). Some of these include, いつもお心配りをありがとうございます (itsumo o-kokoro-kubari o arigatō gozaimasu, thank you for looking out for us always) and これからもお元気でお過ごしください (korekara mo o-genki de o-sugoshi kudasai, please continue to stay well).

If you live with your mother, you may want to step it up and say, 今日はゆっくりしてよ (Kyō wa yukkuri shite yo, Get some rest today). Is your mom a hard worker who can’t slow down? Tell her, 母の日なんだから、今日に限っては自分の時間を優先しなよ (Haha no hi nanda kara, kyō ni kagitte wa jibun no jikan o yūsen shinayo, Since it’s Mother’s Day, today of all days make sure to prioritize your me time). As a mother myself, trust me, a day of rest can be the greatest of gifts.

An old saying goes, 親孝行したいときには親はなし (Oya kōkō shitai toki niwa oya wa nashi, by the time you wish to take care of your parents, they are gone). While any gift would likely please your mother, what she wishes for most will be quality time with you. 母の日はお母さんとの時間を楽しんでね (Haha no hi wa okāsan to no jikan o tanoshinde ne, Enjoy your time with your mom on Mother’s Day).