半端

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 半端 describes something insufficiently finished or an odd amount that does not fit a whole unit.
• Basic usage: An incomplete explanation can be 中途半端な説明, while an odd monetary remainder is described with 半端が出る.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Taking 半 literally
  • 中途半端 evaluates something as incomplete or insufficiently finished. It does not measure progress as exactly one half of the whole.
• Colloquial emphasis
  • 半端ない is used colloquially to emphasize an extraordinary degree.