JLPT N5 Vocabulary – Difference between “大きい” and “大きな”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “大おおきい” and “大おおきな”
2. 大おおきい
3. 大おおきな
4. 3 Differences
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comment

Q: Are “大おおきい” and “大おおきな “the same？

A: There are times when these two have little difference in meaning, and times when they do.

大おおきい (JLPT N5)

[Usage]
It is used to express concrete size. It can be used as a predicate for a noun.

[Rules]
Nは大おおきい／大おおきくない／大おおきかった／大おおきくなかった
大おおきいNだ

[Examples]
あの犬いぬはとても大おおきいです。
That dog is very big.

昨日きのう食たべたステーキはとても大おおきかったです。
The steak I ate yesterday was very big.

このりんごはあまり大おおきくないです。
This apple is not very big.

たんじょう日びに大おおきいケーキを食たべました。
I ate a big cake on my birthday.

大おおきな (JLPT N5)

[Usage]
It is used to express abstract size. It modifies nouns but cannot be used as a predicate.

[Rule]
大おおきなN
*It can not be conjugated

[Examples]
あそこに大おおきな犬いぬがいます。
There is a big dog over there.

いつか大おおきな家いえに住すみたいです。
I want to live in a big house someday.

わたしは大おおきな夢ゆめを持もっています。
I have a big dream.

マリアさんは大おおきな声こえで笑わらいました。
Maria laughed in a loud voice.

3 Differences

There are three main differences.

① “大おおきい” has tense conjugation, but “大おおきな” does not.

[Examples]
あの犬いぬはとても大おおきいです。
That dog is very big.

あの犬いぬは大おおきくないです。
That dog is not big.

昨日きのう行いった公園こうえんは大おおきかったです。
The park I went to yesterday was big.

昨日きのう行いった公園こうえんは大おおきくなかったです。
The park I went to yesterday was not big.

② “大おおきい” can be used as a predicate, but “大おおきな” cannot.

[Examples]
× あの犬いぬは大おおきなです。
◯ あの犬いぬは大おおきいです。（述語じゅつご)
That dog is big. (Predicate)

③ Both “大おおきい” and “大おおきな” can modify nouns.
Either can be used for something visual.

[Examples]
◯ 三重みえ県けんに大おおきい神社じんじゃがあります。
◯ 三重みえ県けんに大おおきな神社じんじゃがあります。
There is a big shrine in Mie Prefecture.

However, when expressing something abstract that cannot be seen, “大おおきな” is used.

[Examples]
彼女かのじょには大おおきな夢ゆめがあります。
She has a big dream.

台風たいふうによる大おおきな被害ひがいは深刻しんこくです。
The large damage caused by the typhoon is severe.

彼かれの大おおきな挑戦ちょうせんは多おおくの人ひとに勇気ゆうきを与あたえました。
His big challenge gave courage to many people.

Let’s Compare

Now, let’s consider some finer differences.

“大おおきい” expresses something concrete, while “大おおきな” conveys an abstract sense. Therefore, in the following cases, using “大おおきな” can convey the message to the listener in a slightly softer manner.

[Examples]
すみませんが、あまり大おおきい声こえで話はなさないでください。
すみませんが、あまり大おおきな声こえで話はなさないでください。
Excuse me, but please don’t speak in such a loud voice.

Additionally, “大おおきい” represents physical size, while “大おおきな” expresses a sensory size. Considering this point, how do you perceive the differences when looking at the following examples?

[Examples]
①たしかあそこに大おおきい川かわがあるんですよ。
②たしかあそこに大おおきな川かわがあるんですよ。
I’m pretty sure there’s a big river over there.
⇒ In case ①, the speaker is referring to the concrete and physical size of the river, while in case ②, the speaker is talking about the impression or sensory size of the river.

In the following cases, which one you use will depend on how you want to convey the “voice” or “the situation.”

[Examples]
①スピーチでの彼女かのじょは大おおきい声こえは多おおくの人ひとに届とどきました。
Her loud voice during the speech reached many people.
②スピーチでの彼女かのじょは大おおきな声こえは多おおくの人ひとに届とどきました。
Her strong voice during the speech reached many people.
⇒ In case ①, it refers to the volume of the voice. It indicates that the loudness of the voice was sufficient for many people to hear it without any issues.
On the other hand, case ②, includes abstract aspects such as “presence” or “the intention to convey something from the heart.” It conveys the nuance that these aspects reached many people’s hearts.

Summary

[大おおきい]

• ① It has tense conjugation.
• ② It can modify nouns and be used as a predicate.
• ③ It represents visual and physical size.

[大おおきな]

• ① It does not have tense conjugation.
• ② It can modify nouns but cannot be used as a predicate.
• ③ It represents abstract and sensory size.　

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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