Japanese word

だいぶ

Pronunciation

Romajidaibu

Meaning

  • adverbquite a bit

Example

この町はだいぶ変わりました。ko no machi wa da i bu ka wa ri ma shi ta

This town has changed quite a bit.

Illustration for だいぶ (quite a bit)

More examples

薬を飲んだら、頭痛がだいぶよくなりました。kusuri o no n da ra zu tsū ga da i bu yo ku na ri ma shi ta

After taking the medicine, my headache got much better.

Core concept

Shows that an amount or degree is well beyond a small level, without necessarily implying an exact measure.

Common phrases

  • だいぶ違うda i bu chiga u

    be quite different

  • だいぶ変わるda i bu ka wa ru

    change quite a bit

  • だいぶよくなるda i bu yo ku na ru

    get much better

  • だいぶ増えるda i bu fu e ru

    increase considerably

  • だいぶ減るda i bu he ru

    decrease considerably

Similar words

かなりkanari: Describes an amount or degree as considerably large without giving an exact measure.
ずいぶんzuibun: Describes a degree as much greater than expected or previously noticed.
相当sōtō: Describes a degree or amount as considerably large in a relatively formal expression.

Definition in Japanese

量や程度が、少しではなくかなりに及ぶさま。ryō ya tei do ga suko shi de wa na ku ka na ri ni oyo bu sa ma

Word origin

The adverb だいぶ (daibu, "considerably") is commonly written 大分 (daibu), a compound of 大 (dai, "large") and 分 (bu, "part") that expresses a substantial degree.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, だいぶ (daibu) can modify a condition or quality, so だいぶ元気です (daibu genki desu) means "feeling quite well" rather than referring to a quantity.

Opposites

Word lists with this word