Prefix or noun meaning fat, thick, or large in size. Often used in compounds like 太っちょ (fat person) or 太字 (bold text).
彼は太っちょだ。
He is a fatty.
この部分は太字で書いてください。
Please write this part in bold.
Prefix used in a few compounds to express greatness or excellence, such as 太っ腹 (generous) or 太刀 (long sword). Not freely productive.
彼は太っ腹な人だ。
He is a generous person.
「太刀」の「太」は、大きいという意味を含む。
The 太 in 太刀 carries the meaning of 'large'.
太 as a prefix means thick/large (太字, 太もも), while 細 as a prefix means thin/slender (細字, 細身), forming the opposite pair.
太 is a prefix/noun used inside compounds like 太字, while 太い is the independent i-adjective meaning 'thick' that can stand alone as a predicate.
gain weight; put on weight; get fat
thick; fat; wide · deep; thick; sonorous · brazen; shameless; audacious
thigh · buttocks; butt; arse
boldface; bold type; thick characters
generous; big-hearted; broad-minded
very thick; extremely thick · thick, heavy thread
plump; on the thick side; somewhat large
big-boned; sturdily built; stout · solid; robust; well-constructed
softstem bulrush; Scirpus tabernaemontani
The kanji 太 is used for its meaning of 'thick' or 'great'. The reading ふと is a native Japanese prefix/noun form, distinct from the adjective 太い (ふとい).
fatty; fatso
overweight; excess weight
medium thickness; medium width
thicker towards the end; club-shaped
scapulimancy; scapulomancy
big spender; whale
thick-bordered box; thick-bordered table
thick-necked shamisen
drapery; cloth (cotton, hemp, etc., as opposed to silk)
thick eyebrows
kagura flute (six-holed horizontal flute)
festive chopsticks; thick round chopsticks for celebrations