Japanese symbol for “nearly”
大体
だいたい
Romaji: daitai
generally; on the whole; mostly; almost
In Japanese, nearly is 大体, read だいたい (daitai).
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
- adv generally; on the whole; mostly; almost; nearly; approximately
- adj-no general; rough
- n outline; main points; gist; substance; essence
- adv in the first place; first and foremost; from the start; to begin with
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nearly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 略 | ほぼ hobo | almost; nearly; for the most part |
| 殆ど | ほとんど hotondo | almost; nearly; mostly |
| 大半 | たいはん taihan | mostly; largely; mainly |
| 近い | ちかい chikai | similar; almost the same; close to |
| 既に | すんでに sundeni | almost; nearly |
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) |
| 全体 | ぜんたい zentai | whole; entirety |
| 団体 | だんたい dantai | group; party; team |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nearly”.
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.