Components

Grammar detail: 大抵(たいてい)

大抵(たいてい)  usually
209 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
Grammar games:
GRAMMAR MATCH
SENTENCE BUILDER
BOOST
たいてい
大抵
means
usually; mostly; ordinarily; generally etc.
たいてい is a common and useful word in Japanese which functions very similarly to the English words 'usually' or 'usual'.
It is usually found as an adverb, but unlike most adverbs, it is not typically followed by に:
わたし
その
とうじ
当時
たいてい
きた

I usually got up at five in those days.
たいてい
ある
いて
きます

I usually walk.
Just as in English, it can be used at the beginning of a sentence to mean 'Usually, ~':
たいてい
じどうしゃ
自動車
じこ
事故
すいみん
睡眠
ふそく
不足
から
しょう
じている

In most cases, car accidents result from lack of sleep.
It can also be used as an adjective, in which case it is followed by の:
たいてい
ひと
そう
かんが
える

Most people think so.
Also as in English, the use of たいてい can lead to some ambiguity. Consider the following sentence:
わたし
たいてい
大抵
あさ
コーヒー
ます

Usually I drink coffee in the morning.
Here, the English is ambiguous: does it mean that you usually drink coffee, but there are some days you don't? Or that you usually drink your coffee in the morning, but sometimes in the afternoon? The Japanese version carries exactly the same ambiguity, and would need to be modified to avoid the ambiguity. For example, using 大抵の朝 would pin the meaning down as the first, and using ほとんど毎日 instead of たいてい would pin the meaning down as the second. For more on this ambiguity see reference 1 below.
たいてい is usually written in kana in modern Japanese, although the kanji form 大抵 is still perfectly acceptable.
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Kanji used in this grammar

ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
テイ    resist   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
チョウ   あさ morning   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
マイ   every, each
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
トウ   あてる    あたる to hit   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジ   とき time, occasion   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
キ   おきる to wake up, to get up   おこる to happen   おこす to rouse   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ホ   フ   ブ   ある    あゆ to walk   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジ   シ   みずか self   
ドウ   うご to move, to stir   うごかす to shift, to move   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シャ   くるま car   
ジ   ズ   こと thing; matter   
コ   strike   ゆえ reason; deceased   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
スイ    drowsy   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ミン   ねむ to sleep   ねむ sleepy   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
フ   ブ    not   
ソク   あし foot; leg   た to add   た    たりる to be sufficient   
セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   う to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   お to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
コウ   かんがえる to think about, consider   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
イン   の to drink   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×