Dekai is the Japanese word for ‘huge’ or ‘enormous’, explained

What does “dekai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “dekai” to mean ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its origin. And also, I will explain its major conjugations with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “dekai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “dekai”
• Origin of “dekai”
  • Example #1: how to say “huge” in Japanese
• Nai form of “dekai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not huge” in Japanese
• Ta form of “dekai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was huge” in Japanese
• Te form of “dekai”
  • Example #4: how to say “huge and” in Japanese
• Ba form of “dekai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if huge” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “dekai”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “dekai”.

• dekai – デカい (でかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese.

Japanese people use this i-adjective to describe something huge. Normally, it doesn’t sound formal, so we need to be careful with its use.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its origin.

Origin of “dekai”

There are various theories, but it is said that “dekai” originally came from the old expression, “doikai”. This consists of the following two parts:

• do – ど : a prefix working to emphasize the meaning of its following word.
• ikai – 厳い (いかい) : an old i-adjective meaning ‘large’.

From these two components, we can understand that “doikai” was literally an emphasized expression of ‘large’. So, it’s no wonder that “dekai” derived from the old expression can mean ‘huge’ or ‘enormous’ today.

Next, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “huge” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “inu” to say “this dog” in Japanese.
• inu – 犬 (いぬ) : a noun meaning ‘dog’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kono inu” to make the subject word in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “dekai”. In this example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. So, we can say “dekai inu” to mean ‘a huge dog’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing. Anyway, when we want to say “huge” in Japanese, this i-adjective is one option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “dekai” and its origin and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “dekakunai”.

Nai form of “dekai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dekakunai”.

• dekakunai – デカくない (でかくない) : the nai form of “dekai”, meaning ‘not huge’, ‘not enormous’, or just ‘not large’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dekakunai” consists of the following two parts:

• dekaku – デカく (でかく) : one conjugation of “dekai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two components, we can understand that “dekakunai” is literally the nai form of “dekai” and means ‘not huge’, ‘not enormous’, or ‘not large’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not huge” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dekakunai”. In this example, it works to mean ‘not huge’ in Japanese.

Ta form of “dekai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dekakatta”.

• dekakatta – デカかった (でかかった) : the ta form of “dekai”, meaning ‘was huge’, ‘were huge’, ‘was enormous’, ‘were enormous’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dekakatta” consists of the following two parts:

• dekakat – デカかっ (でかかっ) : one conjugation of “dekai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “dekakatta” is literally the ta form of “dekai”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “dekakatta” to mean ‘was huge’, ‘were huge’, ‘was enormous’, ‘were enormous’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was huge” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “inu” to say “that dog” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dekakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “dekai”, this ta form is the best option.

Te form of “dekai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dekakute”.

• dekakute – デカくて (でかくて) : the te form of “dekai”, meaning ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dekakute” consists of the following two parts:

• dekaku – デカく (でかく) : one conjugation of “dekai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two components, we can understand that “dekakute” is literally the te form of “dekai”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “dekakute” is very useful when we want to use “dekai” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “huge and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kowai – 怖い (こわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘scary’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dekakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kowai”. Like this, when we want to use “dekai” before another adjective with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “dekai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dekakereba”.

• dekakereba – デカければ (でかければ) : the ba form of “dekai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or ‘large’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dekakereba” consists of the following two parts:

• dekakere – デカけれ (でかけれ) : one conjugation of “dekai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two components, we can understand that “dekakereba” is literally the ba form of “dekai”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, “dekakereba” is very useful when we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or ‘large’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if huge” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used to make the subject word in the conditional clause.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “dekai inu” to make the object word in the second clause.
• ka – 飼 (か) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau”, which means ‘to have (a pet)’ or ‘to get (a pet)’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• eru – える : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “ka” to make its potential form, “ka eru”, which means ‘can get’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dekakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ie ga dekakereba”, which means ‘if your house is huge’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese, this ba form is useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “dekai” in detail based on its origin. And also, I’ve explained its major conjugations with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• dekai – デカい (でかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• dekakunai – デカくない (でかくない) : the nai form of “dekai”, meaning ‘not huge’, ‘not enormous’, or just ‘not large’ in Japanese.
• dekakatta – デカかった (でかかった) : the ta form of “dekai”, meaning ‘was huge’, ‘were huge’, ‘was enormous’, ‘were enormous’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “dekai”.
• dekakute – デカくて (でかくて) : the te form of “dekai”, meaning ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or just ‘large’ in Japanese. When we want to use “dekai” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is very useful.
• dekakereba – デカければ (でかければ) : the ba form of “dekai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, or ‘large’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.