大

• Pinyin: dà
• Hanzi breakdown: 大 = pictograph of a person with arms spread wide, representing bigness

Meaning

Big; large; great. One of the most common adjectives in Chinese for describing size, age, or importance.

Used for physical size (大房子, big house), age (你多大, how old), volume (声音很大, loud sound), and scope (大问题, big problem). Opposite is 小. Very productive in compound words like 大学, 大家, 大人.

Examples

1. 这个房间很大。 This room is very big.
2. 你今年多大了？ How old are you this year?
3. 外面的雨很大。 The rain outside is very heavy.

Usage Guide

Context: description, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你家很大。(Your home is very big.)
• 他比我大两岁。(He is two years older than me.)

Don't Say

• 这个声大 (Incomplete — say 声音很大 for 'the sound is loud')

Origin & History

Pictograph of a person standing with arms outstretched wide, representing the concept of largeness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal