大きい
ōkii[o̞ːkʲiː]
The English word 'large' is translated into Japanese as 大きい (ōkii).
The standard word to express 'large' in Japanese is 大きい. While it generally means of greater size, context is important. For example, the phrase 大きい人 can mean a 'tall person' rather than just a person of large physical size. If you want to describe something as being wide or spacious, you might use 広い instead.
Meaning: of greater size (adj)
Which one should you use?
There are two main forms to consider. 大きい can be used as a predicate at the end of a sentence, while 大きな is a pre-noun adjectival that can only be used directly before a noun. For emphasis, you can use the phrase めちゃくちゃ大きい to describe something as being incredibly large.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the adjective 大きい polite, add です to the end to form 大きいです. You can also use the adverbial form 大きく to modify verbs, such as in the phrase 'to laugh loudly' (大きく笑う).
How do you pronounce it?
ōkii
Did you know?
- The kanji character for 'large' 大 is a simplified pictograph of a person with their arms and legs spread wide to indicate a large scale.
- Japanese has a specific 'big' that refers to the heart. The phrase 心が大きい is used to describe someone with a generous or magnanimous spirit, rather than a physical size.
- The word 大きい actually shares a deep historical root with the concept of something being 'indistinct' or 'of uncertain shape'.
Examples in context
- トムは手が大きい。Tom's hands are large.This sentence shows how to use 大きい to describe hand size.Tatoeba #2383097 by tommy_san, translation #6356620 by CK
- この部屋は十分大きい。This room is large enough.This sentence demonstrates using 大きい to describe the size of a room.Tatoeba #219995 by arnab, translation #57315 by CK
- この教室はとても大きい。This classroom is very large.This sentence shows how to use 大きい to describe a classroom.Tatoeba #222340 by bunbuku, translation #59667 by CK
- このホテルのプールはとても大きいです。The pool in this hotel is very large.
- この公園は広いですね！This park is spacious, isn't it?
- 私の新しいアパートは部屋が広いです。My new apartment has spacious rooms.
- そのテレビはデカいね！That TV is huge!
- パーティーでデカいケーキを用意しましょう！Let's prepare a big cake for the party!
- あのビル、めちゃくちゃ大きいよ！That building is incredibly large!
- このソファはめちゃくちゃ大きいから、移動するのが大変だ。This sofa is so big, it's difficult to move it.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Yui are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- 結衣 Yuiこのケーキ、すごく大きいね！Kono keeki, sugoku ookii ne!This cake is really large, isn't it!
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ。すごく大きいよ。Hontou da. Sugoku ookii yo.You're right. It is very large.
- 結衣 Yui大翔君は、全部食べられる？Hiroto-kun wa, zenbu taberareru?Hiroto, can you eat all of it?
- 大翔 Hirotoうーん、少し大きいけど、大丈夫。Uun, sukoshi ookii kedo, daijoubu.Hmm, it's a bit large, but I'll be fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “large” translations and entries 大きい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 大きい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
