大おおいなる

お

い

な

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

pre-noun adjectival

big; large; great

Literary or formal pre-noun adjectival meaning 'big', 'large', or 'great'. Often used in elevated or poetic contexts, such as 大いなる自然 (great nature) or 大いなる力 (great power).

大おおいなる自し然ぜんの前まえで

は

、

人にん

間げん

は

無む

力りょく

だ

。

In the face of great nature, humans are powerless.

彼かれは大おおいなる夢ゆめを抱いだいて上じょう京きょうした。

He came to Tokyo with a big dream.

Usage patterns

大おおいなる〈物もの〉a great/mighty ~ (formal, poetic)
彼かれは大おおいなる自し然ぜんの力ちからに感かん動どうした。
He was moved by the great power of nature.
大おおいなる〈事こと〉a great/grave ~ (e.g. mistake, hope)
それは大おおいなる誤ご解かいであった。
That was a grave misunderstanding.

Kanji

大large, big

Related words

大おおきなN5
大きな is the common pre-noun form for 'big' used in everyday speech and writing, while 大いなる is a literary, elevated form reserved for formal or poetic contexts.
大おおきいN5
大きい is the standard predicate adjective for 'big' in ordinary speech, whereas 大いなる is a literary pre-noun form used mainly in formal or poetic writing.
偉い大だいN3
偉大 describes greatness of character or achievement (as in 偉大な人物), while 大いなる is a broader literary term for 'great' or 'large' applied to things like nature or power.
巨きょ大だいN3
巨大 emphasizes sheer physical enormity (a huge building or creature), while 大いなる is a literary word for greatness that need not imply physical size.

Don't confuse with

大おおいにN3
大いに is an adverb meaning 'greatly' or 'very much', while 大いなる is a pre-noun adjective meaning 'great' or 'large' that directly modifies a noun.

Written forms

大おおいなるUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling for this pre-noun adjectival.
おおいなるUsage1%

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese adjective おおし (大し) with the archaic attributive form なる, which survives in modern literary usage.