The Chinese Radical: 大


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Meaning
big, huge    大

Explanation A person 人 with spread arms 一 appears big.

Used in these characters:
大
JLPT HSK 1
big, huge, large, oldest
dà, dài
大

A person 人 with arms 一 spread widely appears: big.  
天
JLPT HSK 1
sky, heaven
tiān
大 天
A big 大 person with the sky/heaven 一 above him.
As far as a big person can reach is: the sky.  
太
JLPT HSK 1
extreme, highest, greatest, too (much)
tài
太 大 丶
Top: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big.), below: a little bit more: 丶
When something is big, and more is added, it becomes extreme.  
椅
JLPT HSK 1
chair
yǐ
木 奇 大 可
Left: tree/wood 木, right: strange 奇 (If it is a too big 大 opportunity 可 (possibility), it might look strange.) - [possibility 可 = The nail 丁 into the opening 口 should be possible.]
With wood you have big possibilities, such as making: a chair.  
夫
JLPT HSK 2
husband, man, manual worker
fū
夫 大
Two 二 and person 人
The big 大 person with the extra-caring arms 一 is the husband.  
因
JLPT HSK 2
reason, cause, because
yīn
因 囗 大
Outside: enclosure 囗, inside: big 大 person
The fence around the big person has its reason.  
奇
JLPT HSK 3
strange, odd, weird
jī, qí
大 奇 可
Top: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big), bottom: possible 可 (The nail 丁 into the opening 口 should be possible)
(It seems to be too good to be real:) It is a big opportunity (possibility), but it looks strange.  
头
JLPT HSK 3
leader, chief, boss, the top, head
tóu, tou
大 头
Big 大 with two protruding eyes 丶丶
The big one with the protruding eyes is our leader and chief.  
骑
JLPT HSK 3
to ride (an animal or bike), to sit astride
qí
馬 奇 大 可
Left: horse 马/馬 (= mane, 4 legs 灬 and a tail ㄅ), right: strange, odd 奇 (If it is a too big 大 opportunity 可 (possibility), it might look strange.)
A horse gives you big possibilities (opportunity), when you are riding.  
参
JLPT HSK 3
attend, participate, join, irregular
cān, shēn, cēn
参 厶 大 彡
From top: nose 厶 (a nose in side view), big 大, hairy 彡 (Originally this was the image of a kneeling woman 女 = くノ一 with long hair 彡 (possibly with hairpins 八 ?), with the meaning: beautiful)
Where the kneeling woman 厶 with the big hair is, I would like to participate.  
奖
JLPT HSK 4
reward, prize, award, encouragement
jiǎng
丬 夕 大
Top: bed 丬, evening 夕 (When the moon 月 is not yet fully there, it is only evening.), bottom: large 大
Going to bed in the evening can be a big: reward.  
奋
JLPT HSK 4
strive, exert oneself, arouse
fèn
大 田
Top: big 大, below: rice field 田
He has a big rice field and has strived (for it).  
美
JLPT HSK 4
America, USA, beautiful
měi
羊 大
Top: sheep 羊 (The horned 丷 animal with a backbone 丨 and laterally protruding due to thick wool 三 is the: sheep), below: big 大
A sheep that is big is beautiful, like America.  
寄
JLPT HSK 4
to depend, to live (in a house), to lodge
jì
宀 奇 大 可
Top: roof 宀, below: strange, odd 奇 (If it is a too big 大 opportunity 可 (possibility), it might look strange.) - [possible 可 = The nail 丁 into the opening 口 should be possible.]
Under the roof, there are great possibilities, because you depend on each-other.  
庆
JLPT HSK 5
celebrate, congratulate, festival
qìng
广 大
Outside: building 广, inside: big 大
When you make the building 'big', you want to celebrate.  
衡
JLPT HSK 5
to weigh, weight, measure
héng
行 魚 大
Outside: go 行, center: var. of fish 魚, big 大 (Here: See 行 as a scale with two communicating plates 彳,亍 going up/down)
Put the fish: the big one, on the scales to weigh.  
达
JLPT HSK 5
to attain, to reach, to amount to, eminent
dá
辶 大
Left: movement 辶 (here: endeavor). right: big 大
Those who move (= strive) to achieve big things, will reach and attain them.  
奈
JLPT HSK 5
what, how can one help
nài
大 示
Top: big 大, bottom: to show, altar 示 (image of an altar 丁 with a sacrifice 一 and dripping blood 八)
A big altar? What, how can that help?  
类
JLPT HSK 5
category, type, kind, class, similar
lèi
米 大
Top: rice 米, bottom: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big.)
(For culturing or breeding:) For big rice they made categories and types.  
夸
JLPT HSK 5
to boast, to exaggerate, to praise
kuā
大 夸 咢 丂
Top: big 大, below: deficiency 亏 (Having only one 一 winding seaweed 丂 means a deficiency) (Tip: See 亏 as lower part of jaw 咢 (= two teeth 口, tongue 一, lower jaw 丂)
With a big tongue and jaw, you can boast and exaggerate.  
套
JLPT HSK 5
cover, sheath, to encase, a case
tào
大 長
Top: big 大, bottom: variation of: long 长/長 (long hair/mane in the wind)
(A present with a wrapping:) It becomes bigger and longer due to the: cover.  
奔
JLPT HSK 6
to hurry, rush, to run quickly, elope, towards
bēn, bèn
大 卉 廾
Top: big 大, bottom: thirty, grasses 卉 (= ten 十, twenty 廾)
The big man hurries thirty-fold away.  
央
JLPT HSK 6
center, middle, to beg
yāng
央 大 冂
Top: yoke 冂, below: big 大
The yoke on the shoulders of the big person is centered.  
掩
JLPT HSK 6
to conceal, cover up, surprise
yǎn
扌 奄 大 电 乚
Left: hand 扌, right: suddenly 奄 (The big 大 electricity 电 [= lightning strike] comes suddenly.) [electricity 电 = field 田 with lightning arrester 乚]
The hand makes a sudden movement to conceal sth.  
莫
JLPT HSK 6
negative, nobody, do not, there is none who
mò
莫 艹 大
The sunset is shown: The plants 艹 are made by the sun 日 to be large 大 [= as long shadows] at sunset.) (Please note that sunrise is: and 旦)
The sunset is perceived negatively.  
尖
JLPT HSK 6
pointed (needle), sharp, shrewd
jiān
小 大
Top: small 小 (A person 亅 with the arms 八 close to the body is small), bottom: big 大
If the 'small' is part of the 'big', it is its pointed end.  
夺
JLPT HSK 6
to seize, to take away forcibly, strive for
duó
大 寸
Top: big 大, bottom: skillful hand 寸
With a big and skillful hand you can seize or strive/compete for sth.  
溪
JLPT HSK 6
rivulet =small river, creek
xī
氵 爫 糸 大
Left: water 氵, right: What? WHERE? 奚 (The down-reaching hand 爫 wants to fish with the thread 糸 something big 大, but: What? Where?)
To get to the water, you need to reach down and it seems like a 'big thread', then it is a rivulet.  
奥
JLPT HSK 6
obscure, mysterious, Austria 奥地利
ào
奥 大 宀
From top: var. of roof 宀, rice 米, big 大
Under the roof, he hides rice in big quantities and this is obscure in Austria.  
爽
JLPT HSK 6
bright, clear, fresh, cool, frank
shuǎng
爻 大
Big: 大, 4 marks: 2x 爻
(Here: see 㐅 as a refreshing soft drink:) The tall person opens the jacket and has four cans of soft drink, which are fresh and cool.  
牵
JLPT HSK 6
to pull (an animal on a tether), to hold hands
qiān
大 冖 牛
From top: large 大, cover 冖 (here: the yoke or tether/snaffle of an animal), cow 牛
The person with wide arms uses a yoke at the cow to lead or pull it.  
奠
JLPT HSK 6
to settle, to lay foundation, to fix, pay respect
diàn
丷 酉 大
Top: tribal chief 酋 (Who distributes out of 丷 the wine jug 酉, is the tribal chief.), bottom: big 大
A tribal chief is doing big, when settling a foundation.  
奢
JLPT HSK 6
extravagant, luxurious, wasteful
shē
大 者 耂
Top: big 大, bottom: person 者 (old man 耂 on the sun 日)
The 'big' person can afford extravagant luxury.  
锲
JLPT HSK 6
to engrave, carve, to chisel away at
qiè
金 契 大 刀
Left: metal 钅/金, right: contract 契 (marked sticks were in parts carved with a sword 刀 in big 大 signs and rejoined, at fulfillment of: the contract.)
Into the metal the contract is engraved.  
澳
JLPT no HSK
deep bay, cove, harbor, Australia 澳大利亚
ào
氵 奥 大
Left: water 氵, right: obscure 奥 (Under the roof 宀 is rice 米 in big 大 quantities, which is obscure.)
(Here can be dangerous backflows:) The water is obscure in the bay.  
奕
JLPT no HSK
abundant, graceful
yì
亦 大 赤
Top: also 亦 (To see this variation 亦 as red 赤, you can also do.) [red 赤: When earth (clay) 土 is burned 灬, the pottery turns red 赤], below: big 大
(in respect to apples) If they are reddish and big, we are in: abundance.  
夭
JLPT no HSK
to die prematurely, tender, gentle
yāo
大 夭
Top: ノ (here: a heavy plank), rest: big 大
If a heavy plank (falls) down on a big person, he will die young.  
奚
JLPT no HSK
what?, where?, why?
xī
爫 糸 大
From top: a hand reaching down 爫, thread 纟, big 大
The down-reaching hand 爫 wants to fish with the thread 糸 something big 大, but: What?, Where?  
驮
JLPT no HSK
to carry on one's back
duò, tuó
馬 大
Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: big 大
A horse can carry big (things) on its back.  
契
JLPT no HSK
to carve, carved words, a contract, agreement
qì
契 丰 刀 大
Top: tally stick , (pairwise marked sticks were distributed at the conclusion and joined again after implementation of an agreement), sword 刀, below: big 大
Cut into a tally stick with a sword in big letters: the contract.  
奎
JLPT no HSK
crotch, stride
kuí
大 圭
Top: big 大 (here: big person), bottom: piled earth 圭
A big person is over the piled earth with one stride.  
奄
JLPT no HSK
suddenly, abruptly, hastily, to cover
yǎn
奄 大 电 乚
Top: big 大, bottom: electricity 电 (A field 田 with a lightning rod 乚)
(At a lightning strike:) The big electricity comes suddenly.  
夷
JLPT no HSK
barbarians, non-Han people, to wipe out
yí
大 夷 弓
Combination of big大 and bow 弓
(Think of the Mongols:) They have big bows: The barbarians.  
哒
JLPT no HSK
clatter (of horses' hoofs)
dā
口 辶 大
Left: mouth 口, right: to attain, to reach 达 (Who wants sth. big 大 and moves/endevors 辶 can attain.)
The sound (= what comes out of the mouth) when you reach something is: the hoof's clatter.  
奂
JLPT no HSK
excellent
huàn
奂 大 央
Shows the image of woman giving birth - Better recognizable in the traditional character 奐 with: head ⺈, two breasts ハ and widely spread legs 人
A birth is excellent.  
捺
JLPT no HSK
(downwards-right concave character stroke), press down firmly
nà
扌 大 示
Left: hand 扌, right: what, how can one help 奈
The hand has sth. big 大 to show 示: It is this downward-stroke.  
羹
JLPT no HSK
soup
gēng
羔 羊 灬 大
Top: lamb 羔 (The sheep 羊 on the fire 灬 is: a lamb), bottom: beautiful, USA 美 (sheep 羊, big 大)
With lambs and sheep we make a big soup.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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