The Meaning of taihen [大変 (taihen)] In Japanese

大変 (taihen)
たいへん
Romaji: taihen N4

What does 大変 (taihen) mean?

Translation and Meaning

big change, severe, troublesome, very

Definition

What does 大変 (taihen) mean? It primarily designates a serious, troublesome situation that causes hardship or considerable difficulty, used to describe events or states that are grave, demanding, or problematic.

Type

adverb; adjectival noun (na-adjective) (形容動詞・副詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • As an intensifier meaning “very” or “extremely,” used to strengthen adjectives or verbs.
  • As an evaluative word meaning “terrible” or “awful” when judging an outcome or event.
  • As an interjection or empathetic remark to show sympathy, concern, or surprise about someone else’s situation.
  • Describing something that requires a lot of effort, time, or resources — a burdensome or onerous task.

Composition

  • 大 (dai / ō) — “big, large,” indicating magnitude.
  • 変 (hen) — “change, strange, unusual,” carrying a sense of alteration or disturbance.
  • Combined, the compound conveys the idea of a “big change” or significant disturbance, which semantically extends to situations that are serious, burdensome, or intense.

Usage

Common across spoken and written Japanese, 大変 (taihen) appears in casual conversation, polite remarks, and formal writing; it can appear in set polite expressions to show sympathy or to emphasize gratitude, be used as an adverb to modify verbs/adjectives, and combine with a noun via the particle na to qualify that noun in descriptive phrases.

Variations

  • とても (totemo) — very; common adverbial intensifier
  • 非常に (hijō ni) — extremely; more formal intensifier
  • 大変だ (taihen da) — it’s bad/tough; colloquial evaluative phrase
  • 面倒 (mendō) — bothersome, troublesome; similar nuance of inconvenience
  • 簡単 (kantan) — easy; antonym contrasting difficulty
大変