大
大 in useful words
Learn the character in complete words, because its pronunciation can change with context. Read each word aloud, connect it with the meaning, and then cover the reading to test yourself.
- 大きいおおきい
- big
- 大学だいがく
- university
- 大人おとな
- adult
Reading 大 in context
大きい (おおきい, big) uses おお. 大学 (だいがく, university) uses だい, while 大人 (おとな, adult) has a reading for the complete word.
Try it in a sentence
Practice sentence written for this site.
大きい本を読みます。
おおきい ほんを よみます。
I read a big book.
Watch for this: Write おおきい with two お, not おうきい. 大人 is おとな in its everyday meaning “adult”; joining だい and じん does not give that word.
Check yourself: Read 大学 and 大人.
大学: だいがく. 大人: おとな.
大学 follows an on’yomi compound pattern. 大人 is a whole-word reading that must be learned with its meaning.
Choose your next practice
For reading, cover a word’s pronunciation and recall it before checking. For handwriting, hide the stroke diagram and write the character from memory. An isolated reading list is a reference; the word determines which sound you need.