多い・おおい (many/much)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral おおいooi
読み おおい
ローマ字 ooi
形 Noun + が + 多い / 多くの + Noun
漢字の分解 多 (ta/oo) = many, much

意味

An い-adjective meaning 'many,' 'much,' or 'a lot.' It describes a large quantity or number of something and is used as a predicate, not as a direct noun modifier in the usual way.

Unlike most い-adjectives, 多い has a unique grammatical restriction: it cannot directly modify a noun in the typical い-adjective position. You cannot say 多い人 (many people) the way you say 大きい人 (big person). Instead, use 多くの人 or the noun phrase 人が多い. When modifying a noun, 多い requires a relative clause structure: 人が多い町 (a town where people are many). The adverbial form 多く functions as a noun meaning 'many' or 'a large number.' 多い is often used in comparative statements and pairs naturally with 少ない (few). It commonly appears in weather reports, statistics, and general observations about quantity.

例文

  1. 今日は人が多いですね。
  2. この地域は雨の日が多い。
  3. 日本には温泉が多くあります。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: descriptive

正しい言い方

  • 東京は電車の路線が多い。
  • 今年は雪が多いです。
  • 多くの学生がこの授業を取っている。

避ける言い方

  • 多い人がいます。(Directly modifying a noun with 多い — use 多くの人 or 人が多い instead) → 多くの人がいます。
  • 多い本を読みました。(Direct noun modification — 多い cannot precede a noun like other い-adjectives) → たくさんの本を読みました。

起源と歴史

An ancient Japanese adjective. The kanji 多 depicts two pieces of meat stacked, representing abundance. It has been used to express large quantities since Old Japanese.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

ある (existence of inanimate things) Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things. いる (existence of animate things) Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present. いる (progressive / ongoing state) Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself.
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