大 — “big” in Japanese

Grade 1だい, たい, おお

Radical ⼤ · radical 37 The building block this kanji is filed under

“big” in Japanese is 大, read dai, tai, oo (だい, たい, おお). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 大学 (university).

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What does 大 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	大
Meaning	big
Readings	だい, たい, おお
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	大学 (university)

How to read 大

大 is read dai (だい) or tai (たい) or oo (おお) depending on the word.

Words with 大

大雨おおあめ
最大さいだい
拡大かくだい
大切たいせつ
大勢おおぜい
大人おとな
大会たいかい
大喜おおよろこ
大変たいへん
大通おおどお

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Kanji read the same way as 大

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28