Translation guide
This guide covers how to express 'enormous' in Japanese, focusing on size, scale, and intensity. It includes common adjectives, intensifiers, and contextual strategies.
Describing something physically huge, massive, or immense.
The most common and neutral word for 'enormous' or 'gigantic'. Used for physical size, scale, or impact.
巨大なビルが建っている。
An enormous building is standing.
The company made an enormous profit.
Often used for enormous amounts, especially money, data, or abstract quantities. Less common for physical size.
莫大な費用がかかった。
It cost an enormous amount of money.
莫大なデータを処理する。
Process an enormous amount of data.
A more emphatic, colloquial phrase meaning 'unbelievably big'. Conveys a sense of astonishment.
とてつもなく大きい魚を釣った。
I caught an enormous fish.
A very common casual word for 'huge' or 'enormous'. Used in everyday speech among friends.
でかい犬だね！
That's an enormous dog!
Used for enormous volumes or quantities, especially in formal or written contexts. Similar to 莫大 but more about volume/extent.
膨大な書類を整理した。
I organized an enormous pile of documents.
Emphasizing the intensity of a quality, effort, or impact.
The standard way to say 'very' or 'extremely'. Combine with adjectives like 大きい (big), 重要 (important), etc.
非常に重要な問題だ。
It's an enormously important issue.
A more emphatic, colloquial intensifier meaning 'tremendously' or 'awfully'.
ものすごく疲れた。
I'm enormously tired.
Means 'immense' or 'tremendous', often used for influence, power, or trust. Formal and somewhat literary.
彼は絶大な信頼を得ている。
He enjoys enormous trust.
Describing a vast number of people or things.
Means 'a large number of'. Neutral and widely used.
多数の人が集まった。
An enormous number of people gathered.
Means 'countless' or 'innumerable', often with a nuance of being overwhelming. More literary.
おびただしい数の星が見えた。
An enormous number of stars were visible.
English often uses 'enormous' as an intensifier (e.g., 'enormously helpful'). In Japanese, it's more natural to use adverbs like 非常に or ものすごく rather than trying to translate 'enormous' directly.
非常に助かりました。
That was enormously helpful.
巨大 (kyodai) is for physical size or metaphorical scale. 莫大 (bakudai) is for amounts, especially money or data. 膨大 (boudai) is for volume or extent, often used with documents or information. Choose based on what is enormous.
その象は巨大だった。
The elephant was enormous.
彼女は莫大な量の仕事を抱えている。
She has an enormous amount of work.