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.
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.
It cost an enormous amount of money.
A more emphatic, colloquial phrase meaning 'unbelievably big'. Conveys a sense of astonishment.
I caught an enormous fish.
A very common casual word for 'huge' or 'enormous'. Used in everyday speech among friends.
Used for enormous volumes or quantities, especially in formal or written contexts. Similar to 莫大 but more about volume/extent.
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.
It's an enormously important issue.
A more emphatic, colloquial intensifier meaning 'tremendously' or 'awfully'.
I'm enormously tired.
Means 'immense' or 'tremendous', often used for influence, power, or trust. Formal and somewhat literary.
He enjoys enormous trust.
Describing a vast number of people or things.
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.
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.
The elephant was enormous.
She has an enormous amount of work.
莫大なデータを処理する。
Process an enormous amount of data.
That's an enormous dog!
An enormous number of stars were visible.