だいたい〜
daitai〜
JLPT N5 Casual
Formation
だいたい + Number/Amount/Percentage
Expresses 'roughly', 'approximately', or 'almost'.
When to use
A freestanding adverb ("roughly, for the most part"), not attached to a number like くらい/ぐらい - broader, less precise approximation.
Explanation
The だいたい〜 (daitai〜) grammar point is used to express a rough estimate or generalization, meaning 'roughly', 'approximately', or 'almost' in English. It can be used before numbers, amounts, or percentages to show that the value is not exact.
Example sentences
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Approximately 100 people attended the party.
Daitai hyaku-nin ga paatii ni sanka shimashita.
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She finishes that work in roughly two hours.
Kanojo wa daitai ni-jikan de sono shigoto o oemasu.
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About 80% of the students passed the exam.
Daitai hachijuu-paasento no seito ga shiken ni goukaku shimashita.
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Today is almost 30 degrees hot.
Kyou wa daitai sanjuu-do no atsusa desu.
Approximation (About / Approximately)
- Noun くらい~Noun kurai~N5Express the extent or degree of something; 'about'…
- Noun ごろ~Noun + goro~N5Expresses 'around' or 'about' a certain time or age.
- ~ほど~〜hodo〜N3Expresses the degree or extent; 'about', 'to the extent'…
- Noun といったところだNoun to itta tokoro daN1Expresses 'at most', 'as much as', or 'limited to'.
- Noun からある〜kara aruN1Used with large numbers or measurements to emphasize 'at…
- Noun というところだNoun to iu tokoro daN1Means 'it's approximately...' or 'it's about...'. Used to…
Corpus examples (30)
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It's within about two weeks.
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I generally agree with her.
だいたい何でこんな真夜中にジュース買う為にパシらされなきゃなんないんだか・・・。
Anyhow, just why is it that I have to be sent out in the middle of the night to buy a canned drink?
しめやかな女はだいたい一番きれいだと思う。にぎやかな人はひどいな。
Subdued girls are generally the prettiest I reckon. The loud, bustling ones are awful.
仕込みはだいたい終わりましたし・・・、一眠りしていらしたらどうですか?
We've nearly finished preparations. How about taking a nap?
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This house is about the same size as Peter's.
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I generally get home at eight.
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There is not much doubt about the cause of the fire.
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Anyway what are you on about? Going around sleeveless in this cold.
だいたい、この川原の辺りを一巡りするのが、基本的な朝のコースである。
Generally once round this river side area is the basic morning course.
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You're about right.
だいたい5マイルです。
It's about five miles.
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Your pronunciation is more or less correct.
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He and I are pretty much the same build.
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The work is mostly done.
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That work is almost finished.
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She is about my age.
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She is about my age.
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On the whole I am satisfied with the experiment.
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This is about as many as the United States has.
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My father usually comes home at seven.
だいたいどのくらいの時間がかかりますか。
About how long will it take?
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The weather is usually hot in July.
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I usually dream when I sleep.
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She's about the same height as you.