大変

• 読み: たいへん
• ローマ字: taihen
• 漢字の分解: 大 (tai/dai) — big, large; 変 (hen) — change, unusual, strange
• 発音: /ta.i.heɴ/

意味

Very; greatly; terribly. Also means tough, difficult, or serious as a na-adjective.

Has two main uses. As an adverb it means 'very' or 'extremely' (大変おいしい, very delicious). As a na-adjective it means 'tough' or 'difficult' (大変な仕事, a tough job). The adverbial use is slightly more formal than とても. Context determines which meaning is intended.

例文

1. 日本語の勉強は大変です。
2. 大変おいしい料理でした。
3. 昨日は大変な一日でした。

使い方ガイド

場面: daily life, work, emotions

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Composed of 大 (big) and 変 (change/unusual). The literal sense of 'a big change' or 'something greatly out of the ordinary' evolved into meanings of severity, difficulty, and intensity.

文化的背景

時代: Medieval

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal