LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Big and small in Japanese: 大おおきい vs 大おおきな, and when big means 広ひろい

Big in Japanese is 大おおきい (ookii) and small is 小ちいさい (chiisai) — but English "big" covers at least five different ideas in Japanese, and the word you pick depends on what is big.

Searching "big in Japanese" gives you one word. That word is correct, and it is also where most learners stop and start making small mistakes: a room that is "big," a person who is "big," a "big" number of people. This article sorts out which Japanese word goes with which kind of "big," and what the extra forms 大おおきな and 小ちいさな are doing.

The basics

What are "big" and "small" in Japanese?

大おおきい (おおきい) means big and 小ちいさい (ちいさい) means small. Both are i-adjectives, so they behave like any other adjective ending in い.

この犬いぬは大おおきいです。 — This dog is big. (polite, describing a thing) 私わたしの部屋へやは小ちいさいです。 — My room is small. (polite) 大おおきい犬いぬを飼かっています。 — I have a big dog. (adjective before a noun)

Because they are ordinary i-adjectives, they conjugate the way you would expect: 大おおきくない (not big), 大おーきかった (was big), 小ちいさくて (small and...). If those patterns are not automatic yet, our i-adjectives vs na-adjectives article covers them.

What is 大おおきな, and how is it different from 大おおきい?

大おおきな and 小ちいさな mean the same as 大おおきい and 小ちいさい, but they can only go directly before a noun. They are a special kind of word (called 連体詞れんたいし, "adnominal") that never conjugates and never ends a sentence.

大おおきな木きがありました。 — There was a big tree. (before a noun, fine) 小ちいさな声こえで話はなしてください。 — Please speak in a small voice. (before a noun, fine)

Before a noun, the two versions are often interchangeable: 大おおきい木き and 大おおきな木き are both fine. The difference in feel is subtle. In my experience 大おおきな tends to sound a little softer, more written, or more emotional, and it shows up in set phrases like 大おおきな声こえ, 大おおきな夢ゆめ (a big dream), and 小ちいさな幸しあわせ (a small happiness). I would not treat that as a hard rule, because plain 大おおきい is just as common in everyday speech. What is a hard rule is the next section.

Can you say 大おおきなです?

No. 大おおきな cannot end a sentence, so この家いえは大おおきなです is wrong. You need the real adjective there.

この家いえは大おおきいです。 — This house is big. (correct) ~~この家いえは大おおきなです。~~ — (wrong: 大おおきな cannot be the predicate)

The same goes for the negative and past forms: 大おおきくないです and 大おーきかったです work, while anything built on 大おおきな does not. The quick test: if there is no noun right after it, use 大おおきい.

Where does 大おおきい show up in fixed phrases?

Everywhere. It is worth learning a few in chunks, because English would use a different word.

声こえが大おおきいですね。 — You have a loud voice, huh. (literally "voice is big") 大おおきくなったね。 — You've grown! (said to a child you haven't seen in a while; literally "you've become big") 小ちいさいころ、よくここで遊あそびました。 — When I was little, I often played here. (小ちいさいころ = "back when I was small")

So 大おおきい is also how Japanese says "loud" (for a voice or a sound) and "grown up" (for a growing child). Learners who only know "big = large size" tend to miss both. Said to someone noisy, 声こえが大おおきい becomes a gentle hint, as in ちょっと声こえが大おおきいかも…, and quiet in Japanese sets that hint beside blunter ways to ask for quiet.

Beyond the basics

Why isn't a big room 大おおきい?

For a room, "big" usually means spacious, and the natural word is 広ひろい (ひろい); the opposite is 狭せまい (せまい). 大おおきい is not wrong for a room, but it talks about the size as an object, while 広ひろい talks about how much open space you feel inside.

この部屋へやは広ひろいですね。 — This room is spacious, isn't it. (the natural way to praise a room) この部屋へやは狭せまいです。 — This room is cramped. (the opposite) 大おおきい部屋へやを探さがしています。 — I'm looking for a big room. (fine, but it sounds like you care about size on paper)

You will also see 広ひろい used for things English does not call "big" at all: a wide road (広ひろい道みち), a wide park, and even a person with a big heart, 心こころが広ひろい, or a wide social circle, 顔かおが広ひろい. Use 広ひろい whenever the point is width or open space, and 大おおきい when the point is overall size. Other opposite pairs stretch beyond their literal sense too: 気きが重おもい is dread, 口くちが軽かるい is someone who cannot keep a secret, and heavy in Japanese shows how 重おもい can describe a love that feels like too much.

Is "a big number of people" 大おおきい?

No. For quantity, use 多おおい (おおい) "many/much" and 少すくない (すくない) "few/little." Number is not size in Japanese.

今日きょうは人ひとが多おおいですね。 — There are a lot of people today, aren't there. (polite) 雨あめが少すくない年ねんでした。 — It was a year with little rain. (polite)

Notice the pattern: 人ひとが多おおい, with が. The thing that is many is marked with が, not used as a direct modifier the way English "many people" works. If you want to say "a lot of people" before a noun, you use 多おおくの人ひと or たくさんの人ひと. This is the same territory as how to say "a lot" in Japanese, which is worth reading alongside this one.

There is one exception that trips people up: a "big number" as a number is 大おおきい数かず. That is about how large the number itself is, not how many things there are.

What about a "big" person, and a "big" brother?

A tall person is 背せが高たかい (せがたかい), not 大おおきい, and a broad or large-built person can be 体からだが大おおきい (からだがおおきい). 高たかい means tall or high (and also expensive), so for height Japanese says "the back is high."

弟おとうとは背せが高たかいです。 — My younger brother is tall. (polite) あの人ひとは体からだが大おおきいですね。 — That person is big (in build), isn't he. (polite)

"Big brother" is not about size at all. It is about age order, and Japanese has separate words for older brother: 兄あに for your own, お兄にいさん for someone else's. We cover those in brother in Japanese: 兄あに ani vs お兄にいさん oniisan. And for "older" as an age relationship (年上としうえ), see old in Japanese: 古ふるい, 年としをとった, 年上としうえ.

How do people say "big" and "small" casually?

In casual speech, でかい means "huge" and ちっちゃい means "tiny." Both are informal and colorful, and you will hear them a lot in anime and among friends.

でかっ! — Whoa, that's huge! (very casual, clipped reaction) この猫ねこ、ちっちゃいね。 — This cat is tiny, isn't it. (casual, often with an affectionate feel)

でかい sounds rough and is not for polite conversation. ちっちゃい is a spoken version of 小ちいさい and can sound cute, so it fits with small things like kittens and hands. Do not use either in a business email.

Is there a set expression using 大おおきな?

Yes, and it is a nice one to know. 大おおきなお世話せわ (おおきなおせわ) means "mind your own business." Literally it is "big kindness," said sarcastically when someone offers help you did not want. It has a rude edge, so recognize it rather than reach for it.

大おおきなお世話せわです。 — That's none of your business. (rude, sarcastic)

Common mistakes

  • Using 大おおきな as the end of a sentence. この本ほんは大おおきなです is wrong. Use 大おおきいです.
  • Saying 大おおきい for a spacious room every time. It is understood, but 広ひろい is what a native speaker would reach for when praising a room.
  • Translating "many" as 大おおきい. People, cars and things are 多おおい. Size and number are separate ideas in Japanese.
  • Saying 大おおきい人ひと for "tall person." It can mean a large-built person. For height, say 背せが高たかい.
  • Forgetting the い/な difference. 小ちいさな looks like a な-adjective but is not one, so you cannot add です or make it negative. 小ちいさくないです comes from 小ちいさい, not 小ちいさな.

What does English "big" mean in Japanese?

English idea Japanese word Example
Large in size 大おおきい 大おおきい犬いぬ
Big, before a noun (softer or literary) 大おおきな 大おおきな夢ゆめ
Spacious room, wide road 広ひろい 広ひろい部屋へや
Loud 大おおきい (with 声こえ/音おと) 声こえが大おおきい
Many / a lot of 多おおい 人ひとが多おおい
Tall person 背せが高たかい 弟おとうとは背せが高たかい
Large-built person 体からだが大おおきい 体からだが大おおきい人ひと
Huge (casual) でかい でかっ!
Small 小ちいさい 小ちいさい猫ねこ
Small, before a noun 小ちいさな 小ちいさな幸しあわせ
Tiny (casual) ちっちゃい ちっちゃいね
Cramped room 狭せまい 狭せまい部屋へや
Few / little 少すくない 雨あめが少すくない

FAQ

Are 大おおきい and 大おおきな really the same? Before a noun, they mean the same thing and are often swappable. The difference is a matter of feel: 大おおきな can sound a bit softer or more written. Only 大おおきい can end a sentence or take conjugations.

Is 小ちいさな the opposite of 大おおきな? Yes. 小ちいさな is the noun-only partner of 小ちいさい in the same way 大おおきな is for 大おおきい. It has the same restriction: it cannot be used as a predicate.

How do I say "very big"? Add とても or すごく before 大おおきい: とても大おおきいです. In casual speech, でかい already carries the "very big" feeling, and you might hear すごくでかい for more emphasis.

Is でかい rude? It is casual and a bit blunt, not rude between friends. Avoid it with a teacher, in a shop, or in writing you want to sound polite.

How do I say "bigger" or "the biggest"? Use より for comparison (この犬いぬのほうが大おおきいです, "this dog is bigger") and 一番いちばん for the biggest (一番いちばん大おおきいです). Both work with 小ちいさい as well.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 4 and 5 are a pair — the same "big" idea, two different words.

1. Say "This dog is big." Use the polite ending.

Show answer

この犬いぬは大おおきいです — 大おおきい is a normal i-adjective and can end the sentence.

2. What is wrong with この家いえは大おおきなです?

Show answer

大おおきな can only go directly before a noun. It cannot be the predicate, so the sentence has to be この家いえは大おおきいです.

3. Which two versions of "a big tree" are both fine: 大おおきい木き, 大おおきな木き, or 大おおきいな木き?

Show answer

大おおきい木き and 大おおきな木き — both are fine before a noun. 大おおきいな木き is not a form; the い-adjective and the noun-only form do not combine.

4. You are praising a friend's apartment: "This room is spacious." What adjective do you use?

Show answer

この部屋へやは広ひろいですね — for how open a room feels, 広ひろい is the natural word. This is the pair to question 5.

5. You are on a shopping site and want a room "big in overall size." Which word fits better?

Show answer

大おおきい部屋へや — here you care about size as a measurement, so 大おおきい works. 広ひろい is about the open feeling, 大おおきい about the size itself.

6. Say "There are a lot of people today."

Show answer

今日きょうは人ひとが多おおいですね — quantity uses 多おおい, not 大おおきい. Note the が after 人ひと.

7. How do you say "My younger brother is tall"?

Show answer

弟おとうとは背せが高たかいです — height is 背せが高たかい ("the back is high"), not 大おおきい.

8. You see a friend's child after a year and want to say "You've grown!" What do you say?

Show answer

大おおきくなったね — 大おおきい is also how Japanese says "grown up." Literally "you've become big."

9. Which is more casual: 大おおきい or でかい?

Show answer

でかい — it is a blunt, casual word for "huge," fine among friends and common in anime, but not for polite settings.

10. Someone offers unwanted help, and you answer sarcastically with a set phrase using 大おおきな. What is it?

Show answer

大おおきなお世話せわです — literally "big kindness," meaning "mind your own business." It is rude, so recognize it rather than use it.

Whether it is 大おおきい or 大おおきな depends on what follows, so describe the big and small things in your room or your city in a trial lesson and hear the difference.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

大きい	おおきい — big
小さい	ちいさい — small
大きな	おおきな — big (before a noun only)
小さな	ちいさな — small (before a noun only)
広い	ひろい — spacious, wide
狭い	せまい — cramped, narrow
多い	おおい — many, a lot
少ない	すくない — few, little
背	せ — height, back
高い	たかい — tall, high, expensive
体	からだ — body
声	こえ — voice
でかい	でかい — huge (casual)
ちっちゃい	ちっちゃい — tiny (casual)
大きなお世話	おおきなおせわ — mind your own business
部屋	へや — room
人	ひと — person
兄	あに — older brother (own)

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where the "which big?" question comes up early and keeps coming back. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

More “Describing Things: Japanese Adjectives & Opposites” articles →

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