Big in Japanese
"big" in Japanese, with the kanji that carry the meaning.
4 Japanese kanji carry the meaning "big". The most common choice is shown first.
Which one to use
大 is big. 巨 is huge, on a different scale — 巨人 is a giant. 太 is thick or fat rather than large in extent. 幅 is width. Japanese separates size from thickness more carefully than English.
Top pick
large, big
Reading: dai
3 strokes
Where it comes from
Pictograph of person standing with arms and legs spread wide.
What it carries
Large, great, important. '大' is one of most positive prefixes in Japanese.
Related kanji for "big"
big
kyo
Shape of large ruler tool. Very large.
big
tai · beautiful
Shape of big with added dot. Extremely large.
big
fuku · dynamic
Composed of cloth and full. Full cloth.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Japanese kanji for big?
The most common kanji for "big" is 大, read as dai. It means large, big. Related kanji: 巨 (big), 太 (big), 幅 (big).
How many strokes does 大 have?
大 has 3 strokes.