大変 (taihen): Very, Great, Serious, Terrible, Trouble, Serious, Awfully
大変 (taihen) + adjective/adverb/verb/expressions = Very, Extremely, Terribly, Awfully adjective/adverb/verb
大変 (taihen) is used to express something extreme. This word can be used for both negative and positive situations.
1. 大変 (Taihen) As An Adverb= Very, Extremely, Terribly, Awfully
When you use 大変 (taihen) as an adverb, it is almost always used in formal situations. For example, for business dealings, talking to someone with a high social status (boss, teacher, customer, etc.), or events (weddings, public events, etc.). You’ll also see this usage of 大変 in newspapers and official documents.
As an adverb, 大変 can come before adjectives (examples #1-5 below), some verbs (example #6), expressions (example #7), and other adverbs (example #8). 大変 modifies whatever comes after it to give it a meaning of “very” or “extremely.”
Examples: Using 大変 (Taihen) with Adjectives
1. この絵は大変美しい。
(Kono e wa taihen utsukushii.)
This picture is extremely beautiful.
2. この課題は大変難しい。
(Kono kadai wa taihen muzukashii.)
This task is extremely difficult.
3. 大変強い風が吹いている。
(Taihen tsuyoi kaze ga fuiteiru.)
A very strong wind is blowing.
4. 彼は大変忙しい。
(Kare wa taihen isogashii.)
He is extremely busy.
5. 大変有難い。
(Taihen arigatai.)
I’m so thankful (to you).
Example: Using 大変 (Taihen) With Verbs
田中先生にご指導をして頂いて、大変助かりました。
(Tanaka sensei ni goshidō o shite itadaite, taihen tasukarimashita.)
Mr. Tanaka’s guidance was a huge help to me.
Example: Using 大変 (Taihen) With Expressions
大変お世話になりました。
(Taihen osewa ni narimashita.)
I’m so grateful for everything you have done for me.
Example: Using 大変 (Taihen) With Another Adverb
大変早くお返事をいただきましてありがとうございます。
(Taihen hayaku ohenji o itadaki mashite arigatōgozaimasu.)
Thank you for your speedy reply.
2. 大変 (Taihen) As An Adjective: Hard, Difficult, Tough, Serious, Huge
When you use 大変 (taihen) as an adjective, it can mean “Hard, difficult, tough, serious, or huge (as in a huge mistake).” This usage of 大変 is casual and can be used in formal and casual situations. It is usually used to describe a bad or unfavorable situation.
Examples:
1. 宿題の量が多くて大変だ。
(Shukudai no ryō ga ōkute taihen da.)
I have too much homework (and it’s tough).
2. 子供の世話は大変だ。
(Kodomo no sewa wa taihen da.)
It’s tough to take care of children.
3. 日本語の勉強は大変だ。
(Nihongo no benkyō wa taihen da.)
It’s difficult to study Japanese.
3. Using 大変 (Taihen) With Na-Adjectives to Modify Nouns
To use 大変 to describe a noun, you need to add the な (na) after it to connect it to a noun:
大変な + Noun = Difficult, Tough, Serious, Huge (a Huge Mistake)
Examples:
1. それは大変な仕事だ。
(Sore wa taihen na shigoto da.)
It’s a hard job.
2. それは大変な事件だ。
(Sore wa taihen na jiken da.)
It’s a serious incident.
3. 今日は大変な1日だった。
(Kyō wa taihen na ichinichi datta.)
I had a hard day today.
4. Using Taihen to Express Sympathy
You can also use 大変 (taihen) to express sympathy for someone who had a tough day or is dealing with a problem.
Examples:
1. 隆史: 今日はお客さんからクレームは来るし、上司には怒られるし、もうクタクタだよ。
Takashi: (Kyō wa okyakusan kara kurēmu wa kuru shi jōshi ni wa okorareru shi mō kutakuta da yo.)
Takashi: Today, I had customers complaining, and my boss got mad at me. I’m exhausted.
花子: 大変だったね。
Hanako: (Taihen datta ne.)
Hanako: That’s rough.
2. 花子: どうしよう！お財布無くしちゃった！
Hanako: (Dōshiyō ! Osaifu nakushichatta!)
Hanako: What should I do? I lost my wallet!
京子: 大変！
Kyōko: (Taihen!)
Kyoko: Oh no!
5. Using 大変 (Taihen) When You’re Surprised
We can also use 大変 (taihen) to express surprise. You can translate it to “Wow,” “Oh no,” or “Oh my goodness!”
Examples:
Situation 1: Your child spilled milk on an important document.
大変！ 早く拭いて！
(Taihen! Hayaku fuite!)
Oh no! Wipe quickly!
Situation 2: Your coworker suddenly fainted and is unconscious.
大変！ 救急車呼んで！
(Taihen! Kyūkyūsha yonde! )
Oh no! Call an ambulance!
How to Use 大変 (Taihen) Naturally In Japanese: Conversation Examples
Let’s look at some conversations to see how 大変 is used naturally by native Japanese speakers.
Example Conversation 1: Business Setting
田中: 佐藤さん、大変お世話になっております。
Tanaka: (Satō san, taihen osewa ni natte orimasu.)
Mr. Tanaka: Mr. Sato, thank you very much for all of your assistance.
佐藤: こちらこそ、大変お世話になっております。
Satō: (Kochira koso taihen osewa ni natte orimasu.)
Mr. Satō: Thank you very much for all you have done.
田中: 先月行われたアンケート結果が出ています。
Tanaka: (Sengetsu okonawareta ankēto kekka ga deteimasu.)
Mr. Tanaka: We have the results of last month’s survey.
佐藤: どうでしたか？
Satō: (Dō deshita ka? )
Mr. Satō: How was it?
田中: 大変良い結果が出ています。特に若い人に大変人気があるようです。
Tanaka: (Taihen ii kekka ga deteimasu. Toku ni wakai hito ni taihen ninki ga aru yō desu.)
Mr. Tanaka: We got extremely good results. It seems to be very popular, especially with young people.
佐藤: そうですか。商品Aのアンケート結果はどうですか？
Satō: (Sō desu ka. Shōhin A no ankēto kekka wa dō deshita ka?)
Sato: Good. How about the result of the survey for product A?
田中: 大変申し訳ございません。そちらの結果はまだ出ていません。
Tanaka: (Taihen mōshiwake gozaimasen. Sochira no kekka wa mada deteimasen.)
Tanaka: I’m terribly sorry, but we haven’t got the results yet.
佐藤: そうですか。それでは、先月発売された商品はどうですか？
Satō: (Sō desu ka. Sore dewa sengetsu hatsubai sareta shōhin wa dō desu ka?)
Sato: OK. Then, how about the products that we released last month?
田中: 有難いことに、そちらは大変人気で、売り切れています。
Tanaka: (Arigatai koto ni sochira wa taiken ninki de urikireteimasu.)
Tanaka: Thankfully, those products were very popular and sold out.
佐藤: 御社*は大変成功されていますね。
Satō: (Onsha wa taihen seikō sareteimasu ne.)
Sato: Your company has a great success.
田中: お陰様で。
Tanaka: (Okage sama de.)
Tanaka: Our success is entirely due to your help.
*Note: 御社 (onsha) is the polite (honorific) way to say “your company.”
Example Conversation 2: Casual Conversation Between Coworkers Who Have a Close Relationship
Compare and contrast this to the conversation above. Remember that using 大変 as an adverb is formal. Since this conversation is between two co-workers who know each other well and are friendly with each other, 大変 is not used. They used more casual words instead.
田中: 佐藤さん、元気？
Tanaka: (Satō san genki?)
Tanaka: How are you, Mr. Sato?
佐藤: うん、元気だよ。
Sato: (Un genki dayo.)
Sato: I’m doing great.
田中: 先月のアンケート結果が出ているよ。
Tanaka: (Sengetsu no ankēto kekka ga deteiru yo.)
Tanaka: We have the results of last month’s survey.
佐藤: どうだった？
Sato: (Dō datta?)
Sato: How was it?
田中: とても良い結果が出ているよ。特に若い人に大人気みたいだよ。
Tanaka: (Totemo ii kekka ga deteiru yo. Toku ni wakai hito ni dai ninki mitai dayo.)
Tanaka: We got great results. It seems to be very popular, especially with young people.
佐藤: そうなんだ。商品Aのアンケート結果はどうかな？
Sato: (Sō nanda. Shōhin A no ankēto kekka wa dō kana? )
Sato: Good. How about the result of the survey for product A?
田中: ごめん。そっちの結果はまだ出ていないよ。
Tanaka: (Gomen. Socchi no kekka wa mada deteinai yo.)
Tanaka: I’m sorry, but we haven’t received the data for that product yet.
佐藤: そうか。じゃあ、先月発売された商品はどうかな？
Sato: (Sō ka. Jā sengetsu hatsubai sareta shōhin wa dō kana?)
Sato: OK. Then, how about the products that we released last month?
田中: 嬉しいことに、そっちは大人気で売り切れているよ。
Tanaka: (Ureshii koto ni socchi wa daininki de urikireteiru yo. )
Tanaka: I’m glad that those products were so popular and sold out.
佐藤: 大成功だね。
Sato: (Daiseikō da ne.)
Sato: It was a great success.
田中: ありがとう。
Tanaka: (Arigatō.)
Tanaka: Thanks.
Using 大変 (Taihen) As An Adverb VS とても (Totemo )
とても (totemo ) is an adverb that also means “very” or “extremely.” So what’s the difference between 大変 (taihen) and とても (totemo)?
とても is considered more informal, but it can be used in casual and formal conversations. However, it is not used in formal documents or situations where you need to use polite or formal expressions. Basically, とても is more casual, and 大変 is more formal.
For example, if you need to give a sincere apology, you cannot say:
× とても申し訳ございません。
(Totemo mōshiwake gozaimasen.)
The correct way to express this apology would be:
〇 大変申し訳ございません。
(Taihen mōshiwake gozaimasen.)
I am deeply sorry.
Another good example would be the phrase お世話になります。 (Osewa ni narimasu.) This phrase is used to thank someone for all they have done for you.
× とてもお世話になりました。
(Totemo osewa ni narimashita.)
〇 大変お世話になりました。
(Taihen osewa ni narimashita.)
Thank you so much for all you have done for me.
Using 大変 (Taihen) As An Adverb VS 非常に (Hijō Ni)
非常に (hijō ni) is an adverb. It also means “very” or “extremely.” While 非常に (hijō ni) can be used in conversations while 大変 (taihen) is better suited for formal/polite situations.
You often hear 非常に (hijō ni) being used by broadcasters, weather reporters, or in other “professional” situations.
Example:
非常に強い台風が日本に近づいています。大変危険ですので、外出は控えてください。
(Hijō ni tsuyoi taifū ga nihon ni chikazuite imasu. Taihen kiken desu node gaishutsu wa hikaete kudasai. )
A very powerful typhoon is approaching Japan. It is very dangerous, so please refrain from going outside.
A Quick Comparison
Professional/education situations (News, TV shows, lectures, etc.) or in written Japanese:
食料問題は非常に深刻な問題だ。
(Shokuryō mondai wa hijō ni shinkoku na mondai da.)
The food issue is an extremely serious problem.
Formal/Polite Situations
食糧問題は大変深刻な問題だ。
(Shokuryō mondai wa taihen shinkoku na mondai da.)
The food issue is an extremely serious problem.
Casual/InformalConversations
食料問題はとても深刻な問題だ。
(Shokuryō mondai wa totemo shinkoku na mondai da.)
The food issue is a very serious problem.
Casual Expressions to Replace 大変 (Taihen)
| Formal | Casual | Meaning |
| 大変有難い (taihen arigatai) | どうもありがとう(dōmo arigatō) / とても嬉しい( totemo ureshii) | Thankful / Happy |
| 大変申し訳ない (taihen mōshi wake nai) | 本当にごめん(なさい) (hontō ni gomen nasai) | I’m very sorry |
| 大変良い (taihen yoi) | とても良い (totemo yoi/ii) | Very good |
| 大変人気 (taihen ninki) | 大人気 (daininki) | Very popular |
| 大変成功(する) (taihen seikō suru) | 大成功 (する) (daiseikō suru) | Great success |
| 大変忙しい (taihen isogashii) | とても忙しい (totemo isogashii) | Very busy |
