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Please help understand the difference between まさか and まさに.
A look-up for meanings seems to indicate them to exactly opposite to each other.

まさか - not at all

まさに - surely

However,i have not been able to find an easy example to highlight the difference. Do I understand this correct?

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    I think the most common meaning of まさか is impossible!, never!, no way!. For example: A: X-san is dead! B: ええ, まさか。 To understand when / how / where to use まさに, you can take a look at these examples: ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/… If you're still in doubts after that, just ask again. :)
    – zdo
    Commented Nov 27, 2014 at 7:20
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    まさか is a guiding adverb (呼応の副詞) that leads expressions of unexpectation. It implies those things commented above but it doesn't mean them by itself like もし doesn't mean "if".
    – user4092
    Commented Nov 28, 2014 at 7:45
  • Found a nice sentence here that illustrates the difference: 「一ドル五〇円」という「まさか」は必ず起こる == 通貨の歴史について言えば、金本位制の崩壊もまさに「まさか」であった
    – blutorange
    Commented Mar 8, 2015 at 12:01

2 Answers 2

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まさか means highly unlikely thing, unconceivable, no way. まさに means exactly or just in time.

キンメル提督は、漠然とした警告しか、ワシントンから受けていなかったので、日本軍による空襲は、まさかの出来事であった。

What Admiral Kimmel got from Washington were just several vague warnings. Therefore Japanese air attack was highly unlikely thing for him.

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Masaka is used colloquially a lot like "NO WAY." and is probably equivalent to "Maji de"

Masa ni is like "truly" and is far more likely to be found in an elegantly written novel.

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