大だい体たい

Adverbial use expressing that something is fundamentally the case or should have been obvious from the beginning. Often carries a tone of mild exasperation or emphasis.

だいたい、そんな計けい画かくがうまくいくはずがない。
In the first place, such a plan couldn't possibly work.

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Usage patterns

大だい体たい〈数かず〉roughly a certain amount/number
参さん加か者しゃは大だい体たい50人にんくらいでした。
There were roughly about 50 participants.
大だい体たいの〈事こと〉a rough/general version of something
大だい体たいの計けい画かくはもう立たててあります。
We already have a rough plan set up.
〈事こと〉の大だい体たいをつかむto grasp the gist/outline of something
話はなしの大だい体たいをつかむことができた。
I was able to grasp the gist of the story.
大だい体たい、〈事こと〉in the first place, ...(used to point out something fundamentally wrong)
大だい体たい、君きみが遅ち刻こくしたのが問もん題だいなんだよ。
In the first place, the problem is that you were late.

Kanji

大large, big
体body, substance, object

Related words· 13

ほとんどN4sense 1
ほとんど means 'almost all' or 'nearly completely', while 大体 is more like 'roughly' or 'for the most part', allowing for more exceptions.
約やくN3sense 1
約 is a more formal, numerical 'approximately' used with numbers, while 大体 is casual and can describe non-numerical approximations too.
おおよそN2sense 1
おおよそ is a slightly more formal, written-style word for 'roughly', while 大体 is the everyday spoken equivalent.
ほぼN3sense 1
ほぼ suggests being very close to complete or exact (ほぼ完成), while 大体 allows for looser, broader approximation.

Show 9 more

一ひと通とおりN2
大体 is a casual word for 'roughly/mostly' with a loose scope, while 一通り implies methodically covering the main points or all items in order.
ざっくり
だいたい is the neutral, common word for 'approximately', while ざっくり adds a nuance of rough, coarse handling rather than plain estimation.
ざっとN3
だいたい is the neutral, everyday word for 'roughly' or 'mostly', while ざっと adds a sense of quickness or cursoriness, as when giving an estimate at a glance.
大たい抵ていN5
大体 is casual and often means 'roughly' or 'approximately', while 大抵 stresses what habitually or generally happens.
おおむねN1
大体 is the everyday, spoken-language word for 'roughly/mostly', while 概ね is a bit more formal and common in writing or business contexts.
およそN3
だいたい is a casual way to say 'roughly/mostly' and can also mean 'for the most part', while およそ is a bit more neutral and often precedes a specific figure.
総そうじてN1
大体 means 'roughly, mostly' and often refers to approximate amounts or degrees, while 総じて sums up an overall tendency after considering various points.
主おもにN3
大体 means 'roughly, approximately' and is used for rough estimates, while 主に points specifically to the main component or focus.
半なかばN3
大体 means 'roughly' or 'in general' for approximations, while 半ば in this sense specifically conveys 'almost entirely', as in 半ば強制的に.

Opposites

きっかりN1
だいたい means 'roughly' or 'approximately', the opposite of きっかり's sense of exact precision.

Don't confuse with

大たい抵ていN5sense 1
大体 and 大抵 both mean roughly 'generally', but 大抵 leans toward 'in most cases/usually' while 大体 leans toward 'roughly/approximately'.

Written forms

大だい体たいUsage52%
Standard kanji spelling, though It is usually written in kana.
だいたいUsage48%
Kana spelling is very common and matches usual-kana usage.

Etymology

Compound of 大 (big, great) and 体 (body, form), literally 'the general form'. The adverbial and noun uses developed from this idea of an overall shape or outline.