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大阪 (おおさか, oosaka) Japanese meaning: Osaka | Kotomora

大おお阪さか

お

お

さ

か

Common word›JLPTN5›Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

Osaka; Osaka city; Osaka prefecture

Proper place name referring to Osaka in Japan; context determines whether it means the city or the wider prefecture.

大おお阪さかに住すんでいます。

I live in Osaka.

東とう京きょうから大おお阪さかまで新しん幹かん線せんで行いった。

I went from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen.

Expressions

大おお阪さか冬ふゆの陣じんWinter Campaign of the Siege of Osaka (1614)
大おお坂さか夏なつの陣じんSummer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka (1615)
大おお阪さかの食くい倒だおれruining oneself financially by overspending on food and drink; Osaka's fabled tendency to eat until one goes broke
京きょうの夢ゆめ、大おお阪さかの夢ゆめthe dreams of Kyoto, the dreams of Osaka

Kanji

大large, big
阪heights, slope
坂slope, incline, hill

Related words

難波なにわ
大阪 is the modern name for the city and prefecture, while 難波 is the old historical/poetic name for the same area.
阪はん
大阪 is the full standalone name of the city, while 阪 is a bound abbreviation that only appears inside compounds like 京阪 or 阪神.

Don't confuse with

大おお阪さか府ふ
大阪 alone can mean either the city or the region, while 大阪府 specifically names Osaka Prefecture as an administrative unit.

Word family

大おお阪さか弁べん
Osaka dialect
大おお阪さか石せき
osakaite
大おお阪さか焼やき
Osaka-style small okonomiyaki; round griddle cake with fillings
大おお阪さかしろな
Osaka shirona (bok choy and cabbage hybrid)

Written forms

大おお阪さかUsage90%
Standard modern spelling for Osaka, used for both the city and the prefecture.
大おお坂さかUsage10%
out-dated kanji form
Older/outdated kanji spelling; mainly encountered in historical contexts or as an old place-name spelling.
オオサカUsage<1%

Etymology

The modern standard place-name spelling is 大阪; 大坂 is an older spelling. The characters can be read literally as referring to a large slope or hill, but as a place name it should be learned as the proper noun Osaka rather than as a transparent compound.