大きい
ōkii[o̞ːkʲiː]
In Japanese, the phrase 'something is big' is expressed as 大きい (ōkii).
大きい is a common and universal word used to describe an object that has a large size or scale. For more intense emphasis, such as describing something as enormous or gigantic, you can use 巨大. You can also add the kanji character 大 to nouns to indicate that the noun itself is big.
Which one should you use?
While 大きい refers to physical size or scale, it is distinct from 長い, which is used to refer to length.
How does it change in a sentence?
大きい is an adjective that can be placed directly before a noun to modify it, such as in the phrase 大きい家 (big house). You can also intensify adjectives by adding 超 before them.
How do you pronounce it?
ōkii
Did you know?
- The kanji 大 used in 大きい is a pictograph that originally depicted a person stretching their arms and legs wide to demonstrate a 'big' scale.
- The word 大きい originally evolved from a root meaning 'indistinct' or 'of uncertain size'. It is a linguistic journey from being something blurry and vague to something clearly large.
- While 大きい describes physical size, Japanese has different words for 'big' depending on whether you mean 'important' or 'adult'. For example, a 'big' person in terms of social status would not be called 大きい.
Examples in context
- その建物は大きいです。That building is big.
- この巨大なダムは壮観です。This enormous dam is magnificent.
- あの車はでかいよ。That car is big.
- 彼女の家は超大きい！Her house is huge!
- この鞄はとても大きいです。Kono kaban wa totemo ookii desu.This bag is very big.
- あのビルは大きいですね。Ano biru wa ookii desu ne.That building is big, isn't it?
- もっと大きいサイズはありますか？Motto ookii saizu wa arimasu ka?Is there a bigger size?
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are looking at a new sofa in a furniture store.
- 健太 Kentaこのソファ、大きいね。Kono sofa, ookii ne.This sofa is big, right?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、とても大きいよ。Un, totemo ookii yo.Yeah, it's very big.
- 健太 Kenta部屋に置けるかな？Heya ni okeru kana?I wonder if we can fit it in the room?
- 美咲 Misakiちょっと大きいかもしれないね。Chotto ookii kamoshirenai ne.It might be a little too big.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
