Japanese symbol for “mostly”
大抵
たいてい
Romaji: taitei
mostly; ordinarily; usually; generally
In Japanese, mostly is 大抵, read たいてい (taitei).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-na, adv, n mostly; ordinarily; usually; generally
- adj-na, adv, n probably
- adj-no, n most; almost all
- adj-no, n ordinary
- adj-na proper; appropriate; moderate
Written forms: 大抵、大てい. Readings: たいてい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mostly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大体 | だいたい daitai | generally; on the whole; mostly |
| 大半 | たいはん taihan | mostly; largely; mainly |
| 半ば | なかば nakaba | mostly; almost; nearly |
| 殆ど | ほとんど hotondo | almost; nearly; mostly |
| 多く | おおく ooku | mostly; mainly; chiefly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大丈夫 | だいじょうぶ daijoubu | safe; secure; sound |
| 大変 | たいへん taihen | very; greatly; terribly |
| 大学 | だいがく daigaku | university; college |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest; largest |
| 大会 | たいかい taikai | mass meeting; convention; rally |
| 大統領 | だいとうりょう daitouryou | president (of a country) |
| 抵抗 | ていこう teikou | resistance; opposition; standing up to |
| 抵当 | ていとう teitou | mortgage; security; hypothec |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mostly”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.