大 means “big, large”

おおきい · ookii

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): おお-, おおきい
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ダイ, タイ

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 1 · 3 strokes

The story

A person (人) stretching their arms wide to show something enormous. 大 is one of the most fundamental kanji: the famous 大文字焼き (daimonjiyaki) festival lights a giant 大 character ablaze on Kyoto's mountainside every August, visible across the entire city. Bigness in Japan isn't just physical: 大切 (taisetsu, important) means "greatly precious."

Used in 大学 (daigaku, university), 大切 (taisetsu, important), and 大人 (otona, adult)

Where it comes from

Pictographic (象形文字): A person standing with arms and legs spread wide.

One of the most ancient kanji: a person (人) stretching their arms wide. The concept of "big" is literally embodied in the human form reaching as far as possible.

To remember it: A person stretching their arms out wide to show BIG!

Words with 大

大学 (だいがく, daigaku): university
大好 (だいす, daisu): love / like a lot
大人 (おとな, otona): adult
大小 (だいしょう, daishou): large and small
大切 (たいせつ, taisetsu): important / precious
大切 (たいせつ, taisetsu): important / precious
大皿 (おおざら, oozara): large plate
大黒柱 (だいこくばしら, daikokubashira): main pillar / breadwinner
大小 (だいしょう, daishou): large and small / size
大量 (たいりょう, tairyou): large quantity

Example sentences

大きい犬が好きです。 I like big dogs.
大学で日本語を勉強しています。 I study Japanese at university.

Kanji that look like 大

太 (fat/thick): 大 is a person with arms spread wide (3 strokes); 太 adds a dot: the extra weight
犬 (dog): 大 is a person; 犬 has a dot on top-right: the dog's ear

More from Measurement & Size

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