大人

Chinese

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

大人

1. adult; grown-up

   萬聖節裝扮不是大人的專利，那些拍門討糖果的小孩裝扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, trad.]
   万圣节装扮不是大人的专利，那些拍门讨糖果的小孩装扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, simp.]

   Wànshèngjié zhuāngbàn bùshì dàrén de zhuānlì, nàxiē pāi mén tǎo tángguǒ de xiǎohái zhuāngbàn yě kěyǐ shífēn chūsè!

   Halloween costumes are not just for adults - the costumes of children who ask for candy can also be extraordinary!

   轉大人／转大人 [Hokkien]  ―  tńg tāi-jîn [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to grow up into an adult

Synonyms

Antonyms

Etymology 2

address towards Japanese officials; "police officer"

Borrowed from Japanese 大人 (taijin), from Chinese 大人 (dàrén).

Pronunciation

Noun

大人

1. (archaic) person of high rank (such as a ruler or noble)

   Antonym: 小人 (xiǎorén)

   • 孟子曰：「說大人，則藐之，勿視其巍巍然。……」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟子曰：「说大人，则藐之，勿视其巍巍然。……」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Mèngzǐ yuē: “Shuō dàrén, zé miǎo zhī, wù shì qí wēiwēi rán.......”

     Mencius said, "When one counsels a powerful man one must view him as very small and ignore his grandeur. "

   • 故兼者聖王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，萬民衣食之所以足也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     故兼者圣王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，万民衣食之所以足也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version

     Gù jiān zhě shèngwáng zhī dào yě, wánggōngdàrén zhī suǒyǐ ān yě, wànmín yīshí zhī suǒyǐ zú yě.

     Therefore, inclusivity is really the way of the sage-kings. It is what gives peace to the kings, nobles, and magnates and sustenance to the people.

2. (honorific) Your Excellency; His Excellency (form of address to a higher-up)

   Synonym: 閣下／阁下 (géxià)

   法官大人  ―  fǎguān dàrén  ―  Your Honour

3. (historical, Taiwanese Hokkien and Japanese-occupied Shantou Teochew) An address used by ordinary citizens to address Japanese occupation officials: sir
4. (Taiwanese Hokkien, dated or regional) police officer
5. (Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien, religion) paper person, used as a scapegoat

Synonyms

• (police officer):

Derived terms

Descendants

References

• 陈业建 (2015 December 20) “抗战时期潮人的特殊口语”, in 汕头特区晚报‎
• “Entry #221”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Etymology 1

Appears in sources from the Heian period. Derivation unknown.

Alternative forms

• 乙名 (only for the "leader" senses)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おとな (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

大人(おとな) • (otona) 

1. an adult, a grown-up

   大人(おとな)（へ）の階(かい)段(だん)をのぼる

   otona (e) no kaidan o noboru

   to ascend the staircase of (/towards) adult: to mature

   • 2010 December 8, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)三(さん)百(びゃく)二(に)十(じゅう)二(に)訓(くん)　二(に)度(ど)あることは三(さん)度(ど)ある”, in 銀(ぎん)魂(たま) (]), volume 37 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:

     まずはこのローションをかぶってだな

     Mazu wa kono rōshon o kabutte da na

     First we slap on some lotion

     ちょっと待(ま)てぇぇぇ‼　それどこの大人(おとな)のプールぅ⁉

     Chotto mateeee‼ Sore doko no otona no pūrū⁉

     Hold o-o-o-on!! Are you tryna turn this place into an adult pool!?

2. (uncommon, possibly archaic) a leader:
   1. an elder of a group or community
   2. in the late Muromachi period, the representative of a village or guild
   3. the head lady-in-waiting
   4. one's wife
   5. in the Edo period, a kind of civil servant working in Nagasaki
   6. the head servant

Adjective

大人(おとな) • (otona) -na (adnominal 大人(おとな)な (otona na), adverbial 大人(おとな)に (otona ni))

1. mature; grown-up

   大人(おとな)な感(かん)じのお店(みせ)

   otona na kanji no o-mise

   shop that has a mature atmosphere

   大人(おとな)な対(たい)応(おう)

   otona na taiō

   mature response to the situation

2. adult; sexual

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720 CE. Derivation unknown.

Alternative forms

• 卿

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) う​し (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

大人(うし) • (ushi) 

1. (honorific) a lord, a landowner
2. an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own father
3. an honorific form of reference for the addressee

Etymology 3

From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑi^H ȵʑjen, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Cantonese reading daai⁶ jan⁴, Hokkien tāi-jîn.

The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) たいじん (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

大(たい)人(じん) • (taijin) 

1. a large person
2. a giant
3. an adult
4. a person of high rank, a ruler or noble
5. an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own parent
6. a daimyo

Synonyms

Etymology 4

From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑi^H ȵiɪn, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Hakka reading thai-ngìn.

The goon reading, so likely an earlier borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) だいにん (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

大(だい)人(にん) • (dainin) 

1. an adult, a grown-up
2. (Buddhism) the Buddhas and bodhisattvas

References

Korean

Noun

大人 • (daein) (hangeul 대인)

1. Hanja form^? of 대인 (“adult”).

Okinawan

Etymology 1

From Proto-Ryukyuan *opopito.

From 大 (ufu-, “big”) +‎ 人 (tchu, “person”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔuɸutt͡ɕu/

Noun

大(うふ)人(っちゅ) (ufutchu) 

1. adult

Etymology 2

Cognate with Japanese 大人 (otona). Presumably a borrowing, as no other Ryukyuan cognates exist.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔutuna/

Noun

大人(うとぅな) (utuna) 

1. (literary) adult

References

• “うふっちゅ【大人】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ウフッチュ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).^{(permanent dead link)}
• “ウトゥナ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).^{(permanent dead link)}

Vietnamese

Noun

大人

1. chữ Hán form of đại nhân (“noble man”).