大だい工く

だ

い

く

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Refers to a professional carpenter, especially one who builds wooden structures such as houses and temples. Often implies traditional Japanese carpentry skills.

父ちちは大だい工くで、家いえを建たてる仕し事ごとをしています。
My father is a carpenter and builds houses.
この寺てらは腕うでのいい大だい工くによって建たてられた。
This temple was built by a skilled carpenter.

See all 168 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が大だい工くになるto become a carpenter
彼かれは父ちちの跡あとを継ついで大だい工くになった。
He followed in his father's footsteps and became a carpenter.
大だい工くに頼たのむto ask a carpenter (to do work)
家いえの修しゅう理りを大だい工くに頼たのんだ。
I asked a carpenter to repair the house.
大だい工くを雇やとうto hire a carpenter
新あたらしい店みせを作つくるために大だい工くを三さん人にん雇やとった。
We hired three carpenters to build the new shop.
大だい工くの腕うでa carpenter's skill
彼かれは大だい工くの腕うでがとてもいい。
He is very skilled as a carpenter.

Kanji

大large, big
工craft, construction, katakana e radical (no. 48)

Related words

職しょく人にんN3
職人 is the broad term for any skilled craftsman, while 大工 specifically refers to a carpenter who builds wooden structures.
指さし物もの師し
指物師 is a specialized joiner who crafts fine furniture without nails, whereas 大工 is a general carpenter who builds houses and larger structures.
木もっ工こう
大工 is the ordinary, everyday word for a carpenter, while 木工 is a more formal or literary term for the craft or its practitioner.

Don't confuse with

建けん築ちく家かN2
建築家 designs buildings as an architect, while 大工 is the craftsman who physically constructs them, so the two roles are often confused by learners.

Counted with

人にん
counter for people

Word family· 8

宮みや大だい工く
shrine/temple carpenter
石いし大だい工く
stonemason; mason · master stonemason
船ふな大だい工く
shipwright; boatbuilder
車くるま大だい工く
cartwright; wheelwright
叩たたき大だい工く
clumsy carpenter; rough carpenter

Show 3 more

大だい工く仕し事ごと
carpentry; woodworking; woodwork
日にち曜よう大だい工く
DIY; weekend carpentry; do-it-yourselfer
雪隠大工せっちんだいく
lousy carpenter; incompetent carpenter

Written forms

大だい工くUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; the reading だいく is unambiguous.
だいくUsage1%

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 大工 (dɑiH kuwng, 'master craftsman'). The Japanese reading だいく reflects the go-on pronunciation. Originally referred to a master artisan in various fields, but narrowed to mean 'carpenter' in Japanese.