Japanese word

たいそう

Pronunciation

Romajitaisō

Meaning

  • adverbvery

Example

祖母はたいそう喜びました。so bo wa ta i sō yoroko bi ma shi ta

My grandmother was very pleased.

Illustration for たいそう (very)

More examples

その知らせを聞いて、彼はたいそう驚きました。so no shi ra se o ki i te kare wa ta i sō odoro ki ma shi ta

He was very surprised to hear the news.

Core concept

Marks a high degree of a state, quality, or reaction beyond what is ordinary.

Common phrases

  • たいそう喜ぶta i sō yoroko bu

    be very pleased

  • たいそう驚くta i sō odoro ku

    be very surprised

Similar words

とてもtotemo: It expresses a high degree in everyday conversation.
非常にhijōni: It expresses an extremely high degree in formal or neutral speech and writing.
大変taihen: It expresses a very high degree in polite or formal expressions.
極めてkiwamete: It expresses an exceptionally high degree in formal written language.

Definition in Japanese

ある状態や性質の程度が甚だしいことを表す。a ru jō tai ya sei shitsu no tei do ga hanaha da shi i ko to o arawa su

Word origin

大層 (taisō) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 大 (tai, "great") and 層 (sō, "layer or degree"), forming an expression of great extent.

Usage tips

  • The adverb たいそう (taisō) is especially useful for recognizing formal written Japanese, where it often replaces the more conversational とても (totemo).

Word lists with this word