What does “ōkii” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “ōkii” normally to mean ‘big’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “ōkii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “ōkii”
- Ōkikunai: the nai form of “ōkii”
- Ōkikatta: the ta form of “ōkii”
- Ōkikute: the te form of “ōkii”
- Ōkikereba: the ba form of “ōkii”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “ōkii”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ōkii”.
- ōkii – 大きい (おおきい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “big” in Japanese
watashi no kuruma wa ōkii – 私の車は大きい (わたしのくるまはおおきい)
My car is big.
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.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kuruma” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “ōkii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “ōkii kuruma” to mean a ‘big car’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ōkii” 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 “ōkikunai”.
Ōkikunai: the nai form of “ōkii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “ōkikunai”.
- ōkikunai – 大きくない (おおきくない) : the nai form of “ōkii”, which means ‘not big’ or ‘not large’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “ōkikunai” consists of the following two parts:
- ōkiku – 大きく (おおきく) : one conjugation of “ōkii”. 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 parts, we can understand that “ōkikunai” is literally the nai form of “ōkii” and means ‘not big’ or ‘not large’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not large” in Japanese
kanojo no ie wa ōkikunai – 彼女の家は大きくない (かのじょのいえはおおきくない)
Her house is not large.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “her” in Japanese.
- ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “ōkikunai”. When we want to say “not large” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Ōkikatta: the ta form of “ōkii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “ōkikatta”.
- ōkikatta – 大きかった (おおきかった) : the ta form of “ōkii”, which means ‘was big’, ‘was large’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “ōkikatta” consists of the following two parts:
- ōkikat – 大きかっ (おおきかっ) : one conjugation of “ōkii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “ōkikatta” is literally the ta form of “ōkii” and means ‘was big’, ‘was large’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was big” in Japanese
kanojo no kuruma mo ōkikatta – 彼女の車も大きかった (かのじょのくるまもおおきかった)
Her car was big too.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘too’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “kanojo no kuruma” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “ōkikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “ōkii”, this ta form is the best option.
Ōkikute: the te form of “ōkii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “ōkikute”.
- ōkikute – 大きくて (おおきくて) : the te form of “ōkii”, which means ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “ōkikute” consists of the following two parts:
- ōkiku – 大きく (おおきく) : one conjugation of “ōkii”. 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 parts, we can understand that “ōkikute” is literally the te form of “ōkii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “ōkikute” is very helpful when we want to use “ōkii” in front of another adjective. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “big and” in Japanese
ore no kuruma wa ōkikute takai – 俺の車は大きくて高い (おれのくるまはおおきくてたかい)
My car is big and expensive.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ore – 俺 (おれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ rudely in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “my” in Japanese.
- takai – 高い (たかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘expensive’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “ōkikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “takai”. When we want to use “ōkii” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very helpful to make a smooth connection.
Ōkikereba: the ba form of “ōkii”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “ōkikereba”.
- ōkikereba – 大きければ (おおきければ) : the ba form of “ōkii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “ōkikereba” consists of the following two parts:
- ōkikere – 大きけれ (おおきけれ) : one conjugation of “ōkii”. 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 parts, we can understand that “ōkikereba” is literally the ba form of “ōkii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, “ōkikereba” is useful when we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘big’ or ‘large’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if large” in Japanese
ie ga ōkikereba, kanojo to sumi tai – 家が大きければ、彼女と住みたい (いえがおおきければ、かのじょとすみたい)
If the house is large, I want to live with her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ie” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say with whom the speaker wants to live.
- sumi – 住み (すみ) : one conjugation of the verb, “sumu”, which means ‘to live’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “sumi” to make its desire form, “sumi tai”, which means ‘to want to live’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “ōkikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ie ga ōkikereba”, which means ‘if the house is large’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘big’ or ‘large’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ōkii” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ōkii – 大きい (おおきい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- ōkikunai – 大きくない (おおきくない) : the nai form of “ōkii”, which means ‘not big’ or ‘not large’ in Japanese.
- ōkikatta – 大きかった (おおきかった) : the ta form of “ōkii”, which means ‘was big’, ‘was large’, or such in Japanese.
- ōkikute – 大きくて (おおきくて) : the te form of “ōkii”, which means ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese. When we want to use “ōkii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very helpful to make a smooth connection.
- ōkikereba – 大きければ (おおきければ) : the ba form of “ōkii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘big’ or ‘large’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.