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The word "big" or "large" in Japanese?

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:57 -0700
by Mayhem
A strange request perhaps, but there's a variety of options thrown up by the online translator and I don't have my English/Japanese dictionary in front of me. So I thought I'd ask here what word people would use. Just something I might need for something I'm writing at the moment :)

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:14 -0700
by Todd Shogun
In the Usagi comics "Okii Ashiyubi" meant "Big Toe"... so I'm assuming "okii" is "big"? When you say Okii, you place emphasis on the "ee" and hold it a little longer. Kinda like in "Fujii".

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:15 -0700
by Mayhem
Yeah "okii" was one of the words the translator came back with... another was "kyo" I believe, and "ooinaru". Hence wanting to get a proper opinion on which I should use (context, context!). It will refer to a being, not an inanimate object.

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:25 -0700
by Stan Sakai
I would depend upon how it is used. "Okii" or "ookii" means "big", so does "dai". However, they both are spelled with the same kanji character, but are read differently according to context.