大部分
daibubun[da̠ibɯ̟bɯ̟̃ɴ]
In Japanese, "most of" is expressed as 大部分 (daibubun).
大部分 is used to describe the greater part of a whole or a group. It is versatile and can be applied to both uncountable quantities, such as money or water and countable groups, such as people or students. Other ways to express similar concepts include ほとんど for "almost all", 大抵の for a more formal "most of" or "generally" and ほうが多い when you want to make a comparative statement meaning "more than others".
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 大部分 as the subject of a sentence, it is typically followed by the topic marker は or the subject marker が. If you wish to use 大部分 as an adjective to modify a noun, you must add the particle の after it, resulting in 大部分の.
How do you pronounce it?
daibubun
Did you know?
- The word 大部分 is a relatively modern addition to the Japanese language, with its first recorded appearance occurring as late as 1903.
- While 大部分 refers to quantity, the related word ほとんど can be used as an adverb to describe a 'near-miss', such as 'almost dying'.
- Japanese speakers often use the phrase ほうが多い to express 'most' when they are mentally weighing two opposing groups against each other.
Examples in context
- 彼らの大部分は大学生だった。Most of them were college students.This sentence shows how to use 大部分 to refer to a group of people as the subject.Tatoeba #98446 by mookeee, translation #1424011 by CK
- 彼女は服装に大部分のお金を使う。She spends most of her money on clothes.This sentence demonstrates using 大部分 with an uncountable quantity like money.Tatoeba #86835 by mookeee, translation #1424421 by CK
- 水は地球の表面の大部分を占めている。Water makes up most of the earth's surface.This sentence illustrates using 大部分 to describe a large portion of an uncountable substance covering a surface.Tatoeba #143740 by mookeee, translation #270826 by CK
- 大抵の人は公園で散歩します。Most people go for a walk in the park.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are discussing the progress of a project at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui仕事の大部分は終わりましたか？Shigoto no daibubun wa owarimashita ka?Have you finished most of the work?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、大部分は完了しています。Hai, daibubun wa kanryo shite imasu.Yes, most of it is completed.
- 結衣 Yuiそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That is good to hear.
- 大翔 Hirotoあとは確認するだけです。Ato wa kakunin suru dake desu.All that's left is to check it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大部分, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 大部分, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
