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大人. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
大人, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
大人 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
大人 you have here. The definition of the word
大人 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
大人, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
Etymology 1
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big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor
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man; person; people
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simp. and trad. (大人)
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大
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人
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alternative forms
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大儂/大侬 Min Nan
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anagram
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人大
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Pronunciation
Noun
大人
- 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
- 成人 (chéngrén)
- 成年人 (chéngniánrén)
- 成年者 (chéngniánzhě)
Antonyms
- 囡仔人 (Hokkien)
- 未成年人 (wèichéngniánrén)
- 未成年者 (wèichéngniánzhě)
Etymology 2
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big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor
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man; person; people
|
simp. and trad. (大人)
|
大
|
人
|
alternative forms
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大儂/大侬 (dua7 nang5) Teochew
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anagram
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人大
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- address towards Japanese officials; "police officer"
- Borrowed from Japanese 大人 (taijin), from Chinese 大人 (dàrén).
Pronunciation
Note: dai6 ring5 - address towards Japanese officials.
Rime
|
Character
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大
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大
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人
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Reading #
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1/2
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2/2
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1/1
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Initial (聲)
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定 (7)
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定 (7)
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日 (38)
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Final (韻)
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泰 (25)
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歌 (94)
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眞 (43)
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Tone (調)
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Departing (H)
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Departing (H)
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Level (Ø)
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Openness (開合)
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Open
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Open
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Open
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Division (等)
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I
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I
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III
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Fanqie
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徒蓋切
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唐佐切
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如鄰切
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Baxter
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dajH
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daH
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nyin
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Reconstructions
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Zhengzhang Shangfang
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/dɑiH/
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/dɑH/
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/ȵiɪn/
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Pan Wuyun
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/dɑiH/
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/dɑH/
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/ȵin/
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Shao Rongfen
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/dɑiH/
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/dɑH/
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/ȵʑjen/
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Edwin Pulleyblank
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/dajH/
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/daH/
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/ȵin/
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Li Rong
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/dɑiH/
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/dɑH/
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/ȵiĕn/
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Wang Li
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/dɑiH/
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/dɑH/
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/ȵʑĭĕn/
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Bernard Karlgren
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/dʱɑiH/
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/dʱɑH/
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/ȵʑi̯ĕn/
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Expected Mandarin Reflex
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dài
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duò
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rén
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Expected Cantonese Reflex
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daai6
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do6
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jan4
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Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
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Character
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大
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大
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人
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Reading #
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1/2
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2/2
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1/1
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Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
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dà
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dà
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rén
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Middle Chinese
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‹ daH ›
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‹ dajH ›
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‹ nyin ›
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Old Chinese
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/*lˁat-s/ (MC F!)
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/*lˁa-s/
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/*ni/
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English
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big
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big
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(other) person
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Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
|
Zhengzhang system (2003)
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Character
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大
|
大
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人
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Reading #
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1/2
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2/2
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1/1
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No.
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1934
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1939
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10800
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Phonetic component
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大
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大
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人
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Rime group
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祭
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祭
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眞
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Rime subdivision
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1
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1
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1
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Corresponding MC rime
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䭾
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大
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仁
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Old Chinese
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/*daːds/
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/*daːds/
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/*njin/
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Noun
大人
- (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. 4th 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. 4th 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.
- (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
- (literary) form of address to one's parents or elder members of the family
- (historical, Taiwanese Hokkien and Japanese-occupied Shantou Teochew) An address used by ordinary citizens to address Japanese occupation officials: sir
- (Taiwanese Hokkien, dated or regional) police officer
- (Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien, religion) paper person, used as a scapegoat
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of
警察 (“police; police officer”)
Variety
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Location
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Words
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Formal (Written Standard Chinese)
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警察, 警官, 警員
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Northeastern Mandarin
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Beijing
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警察, 雷子 argot
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Taiwan
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警察
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Chifeng
|
警察
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Hulunbuir (Hailar)
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警察
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Harbin
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警察
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Shenyang
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警察
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Malaysia
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警察, 馬打
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Singapore
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警察, 馬打 dated
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Jilu Mandarin
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Tianjin
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警察
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Tangshan
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警察
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Cangzhou
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民警
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Baoding
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警察
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Shijiazhuang
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警察
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Jinan
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警察
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Jiaoliao Mandarin
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Yantai (Muping)
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警察
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Qingdao
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警察
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Central Plains Mandarin
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Luoyang
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警察
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Wanrong
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警察
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Zhengzhou
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警察
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Xi'an
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警察
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Xining
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警察
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Xuzhou
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警察
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Lanyin Mandarin
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Yinchuan
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警察
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Lanzhou
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警察
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Ürümqi
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警察
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Southwestern Mandarin
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Chengdu
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警察
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Chongqing
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警察
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Wuhan
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警察
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Guiyang
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警察, 警士 dated, 警士先生 dated face-to-face, 貓菜 dated nickname
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Kunming
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警察
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Guilin
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警察
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Liuzhou
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警察, 警伯 playful
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Binyang (Nanjie)
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警察, 走狗 argot
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Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)
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警察
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Dagudi (Maliba)
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警察
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Reshuitang (Longling)
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警察
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Mae Salong (Lancang)
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警察
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Mae Sai (Tengchong)
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警察
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Jianghuai Mandarin
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Nanjing
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警察
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Yangzhou
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警察
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Nantong
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警察
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Hefei
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警察
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Cantonese
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Guangzhou
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警察, 差人, 差佬 male, 老二 dated
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Hong Kong
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警察, 差人, 阿Sir male, madam female, 差佬 male, slightly derogatory, 差婆 female, slightly derogatory, 警犬 derogatory, 狗 derogatory, 龜 derogatory, 老更 dated
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Taishan
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警察
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Dongguan
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阿Sir, 差佬
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Qinzhou
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警察, 差佬
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Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)
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警察, 公安
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Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)
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警察, 公安, 差佬
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Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)
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警察
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Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)
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馬打
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Singapore (Guangfu)
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馬打
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Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)
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公安, 綠衣, 警察
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Móng Cái
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警察, 公安
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Gan
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Lichuan
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警察
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Hakka
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Meixian
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警察
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Yudu
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警察
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Miaoli (N. Sixian)
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警察
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Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
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警察
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Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
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警察
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Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
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巡查, 警察
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Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
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警察
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Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
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巡查
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Huizhou
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Jixi
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警察
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Shexian
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警察
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Jin
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Taiyuan
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警察
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Xinzhou
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警察, 小對子 dated
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Linhe
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警察
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Jining
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警察
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Hohhot
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警察
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Zhangjiakou
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警察
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Handan
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警察
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Eastern Min
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Fuzhou
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警察
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Fuqing
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警察
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Matsu
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警察
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Southern Min
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Xiamen
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警察, 馬打 dated, 烏跤 dated, derogatory
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Quanzhou
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警察
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Zhangzhou
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警察, 烏跤 dated, derogatory
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Taipei
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大人
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Kaohsiung
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警察
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Yilan
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警察
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Changhua (Lukang)
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警察
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Taichung
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巡查
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Taichung (Wuqi)
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警察
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Tainan
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大人, 賊頭 GT, derogatory
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Hsinchu
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警察
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Kinmen
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馬打
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Penghu (Magong)
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大人
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Penang (Hokkien)
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馬打
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Singapore (Hokkien)
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馬打, 大狗
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Manila (Hokkien)
|
兵, 警察, 臭兵 derogatory
|
Guilin (Biyange)
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警察
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Chaozhou
|
警察
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Shantou
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警察
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Johor Bahru (Teochew)
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馬打
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Singapore (Teochew)
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馬打, 大狗, 大狗兄
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Batam (Teochew)
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馬打
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Haikou
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警察
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Central Min
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Nanping (Wangtai, Yanping)
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警察
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Zhongshan Min
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Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)
|
警察, 差佬
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Southern Pinghua
|
Nanning (Tingzi)
|
警察
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Wu
|
Shanghai
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警察, 黑貓警長, 黑貓, 老貓
|
Shanghai (Chongming)
|
警察
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Suzhou
|
警察
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Danyang
|
警察
|
Ningbo
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警察, 警察爛眼 derogatory
|
Wenzhou
|
警察
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Jinhua
|
警察
|
Xiang
|
Changsha
|
警察
|
Loudi
|
警察
|
Note
|
GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)
|
- (paper person): (Hokkien) 魂身
Derived terms
Descendants
References
Japanese
Etymology 1
Appears in sources from the Heian period. Derivation unknown.
- 乙名 (only for the "leader" senses)
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 • (otona)
- an adult, a grown-up
- 大人(へ)の階段をのぼる
- otona (e) no kaidan o noboru
- to ascend the staircase of (/towards) adult: to mature
2010 December 8, Hideaki Sorachi, “第三百二十二訓 二度あることは三度ある [Lesson 322: Twice, Thrice That There Are]”, in 銀魂 [Silver Soul], 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
ちょっと待てぇぇぇ‼ それどこの大人のプールぅ⁉- Chotto mateeee‼ Sore doko no otona no pūrū⁉
- Hold o-o-o-on!! Are you tryna turn this place into an adult pool!?
- (uncommon, possibly archaic) a leader:
- an elder of a group or community
- in the late Muromachi period, the representative of a village or guild
- the head lady-in-waiting
- one's wife
- in the Edo period, a kind of civil servant working in Nagasaki
- the head servant
Adjective
大人 • (otona) -na (adnominal 大人な (otona na), adverbial 大人に (otona ni))
- mature; grown-up
- 大人な感じのお店
- otona na kanji no o-mise
- shop that has a mature atmosphere
- 大人な対応
- otona na taiō
- mature response to the situation
- adult; sexual
Etymology 2
From Old Japanese.[3] Appears in the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720 CE. Derivation unknown.
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 • (ushi)
- (honorific) a lord, a landowner
- an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own father
- an honorific form of reference for the addressee
Etymology 3
From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑiH ȵʑjen, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Cantonese reading daai6 jan4, Hokkien tāi-jîn.
The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 • (taijin)
- a large person
- a giant
- an adult
- a person of high rank, a ruler or noble
- an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own parent
- a daimyo
Synonyms
Etymology 4
From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑiH ȵiɪn, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Hakka reading thai-ngìn.
The goon reading, so likely an earlier borrowing.
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 • (dainin)
- an adult, a grown-up
- (Buddhism) the Buddhas and bodhisattvas
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
Korean
Noun
大人 • (daein) (hangeul 대인)
- hanja form? of 대인 (“adult”)
Okinawan
Etymology 1
From Proto-Ryukyuan *opopito.
From 大 (ufu-, “big”) + 人 (tchu, “person”).
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 (ufutchu)
- adult
- 大人ぬ配い
- ufutchu nu kubai
- treatment of an adult
Etymology 2
Cognate with Japanese 大人 (otona). Presumably a borrowing, as no other Ryukyuan cognates exist.
Pronunciation
Noun
大人 (utuna)
- (literary) adult
- 一のかいぢ二かいぢ読でど遊びゆたる何時の間に里や大人なたが
- ichi nu keji ni ni keji yudidu ashibyutaru ichi nu ma ni satu ya utuna nataga
- You used to play around by counting one to two times, but when is the time that you have become an 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
- chữ Hán form of đại nhân (“noble man”).