大 — how to write the kanji for “large”
大 (“large” and “big”) is a JLPT N5 kanji taught in first grade in Japan. In newspapers it is one of the hundred most used kanji (7th). As one of the 214 traditional radicals it heads 62 kanji in KANJIDIC2. On its own it is the word oo, “large; big”. Read dai, it forms 大学 (“university”), 拡大 (“expansion”) and 最大 (“biggest”); the native reading oo- gives 大幅 (“big”) and 大手 (“major company”). Chinese reads it dà, “big”, at HSK 1.
- Strokes
- 3
- JLPT
- N5
- Radical
- 大 (“large”)
- On
- タイ, ダイ
- Kun
- -おお·いに, おお-, おお·きい
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒topdownwards → down and left
- Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 3 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Under the radical 大
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- タイ tai, ダイ dai (rare)
- Kun (native)
- -おお·いに -oo-ini, おお- oo- (rare), おお·きい oo-kii (rare)
- Meanings
- large; big
- Read dai
- 大学 拡大 最大 大統領
- Read tai
- 大会 大使 大切
- Read oo-
- 大幅 大手 大蔵省
- School year
- first grade
- Newspaper rank
- 7th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 대 dae
- Common words
- 196 in JMdict
Words with 大
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大会 | たいかい taikai | mass meeting; convention |
| 大学 | だいがく daigaku | university; college |
| 大幅 | おおはば oohaba | big; large |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company |
| 拡大 | かくだい kakudai | expansion; extension |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest |
| 大統領 | だいとうりょう daitouryou | president; big man |
| 大蔵省 | おおくらしょう ookurashou | Ministry of Finance (1869-2001); Ministry of the Treasury… |
| 大使 | たいし taishi | ambassador |
| 大切 | たいせつ taisetsu | important; significant |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
JLPT N5, in list order: