広い
hiroi
The English word 'wide' is translated into Japanese as 広い (hiroi).
広い is used to describe something that has a large physical extent from side to side. While its primary meaning is 'wide', it is also the standard word used to mean 'spacious' when describing rooms or areas.
Meaning: having a large physical extent from side to side (adj)
Which one should you use?
To specifically indicate that something is wide in terms of its width, such as the width of a road or shoulders, the phrase 幅が広い (haba ga hiroi) is commonly used. You can also add the suffix -haba to certain nouns to indicate width.
How does it change in a sentence?
Its past tense form is 広かった (was wide), its negative form is 広くない (is not wide) and its conditional 'if' form is 広ければ (if it is wide).
How do you pronounce it?
hiroi
Did you know?
- The phrase 人脈が広い (jinmyaku ga hiroi) describes someone who has a 'wide' network of social connections. It literally translates to having 'wide human veins'.
- To call someone 'generous' or 'open-minded' in Japanese, you say 心が広い, which literally means their 'heart is wide'.
- The word 広い (hiroi) is a homophone for the verb 拾い (hiroi), which means 'picking up' or 'collecting' things from the ground.
Examples in context
- その川は広い。The river is wide.This sentence uses 広い to describe the width of a river.Tatoeba #208499 by bunbuku, translation #45748 by CK
- 彼は肩幅が広い。He has wide shoulders.This sentence uses 広い to describe the width of someone's shoulders.Tatoeba #107684 by bunbuku, translation #2508033 by Hybrid
- この通りは広いんだ。This street is wide.This sentence uses 広い to describe the width of a street.Tatoeba #12534888 by bunbuku, translation #12084293 by sundown
- この部屋は広いです。This room is wide/spacious.
- 広い世界を探索するのは楽しいです。Exploring a wide world is enjoyable.
- 彼は幅広い知識を持っています。He has a wide range of knowledge.
- 幅広い才能を活かすことが大切です。It's important to make use of a wide range of talents.
- この道、すごく広いよね！This road is so wide!
- このテーブル、ちょっと広すぎじゃない？Isn't this table a bit too wide?
- この川、すごく長くて広いんだよね。This river is so long and wide!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are looking at a new apartment together.
- 蓮 Renこのリビングはとても広いね。Kono ribingu wa totemo hiroi ne.This living room is very wide, isn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、家具をたくさん置けそう。Un, kagu o takusan okesou.Yeah, it looks like we can put in a lot of furniture.
- 蓮 Ren窓も広いから明るいよ。Mado mo hiroi kara akarui yo.The windows are wide too, so it's bright.
- 結衣 Yui本当にいい部屋だと思う。Hontou ni ii heya da to omou.I think it's a really great room.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 広い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
