How to say "wide" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 広いひろいi-adjectiveThe default word for physical width and spaciousness: wide roads, rooms, fields, and vast stretches of land. If you simply mean that something is wide or roomy, this is the word you want.
- na-adjective, nounThe katakana loanword 'wide'. It tends to appear in set expressions and specialized or commercial contexts rather than as the ordinary adjective; for a wide road or room, 広い is the natural choice.
- 幅広いはばひろいi-adjectiveChiefly figurative: the 'wide' of ranges and scope — extensive knowledge, broad choices, wide coverage. For the physical width of an object, 広い remains the usual choice.
- 広範こうはんna-adjective, no-adjectiveThe 'wide' of scope and reach rather than of space: wide-ranging effects, extensive coverage, comprehensive surveys. It describes how far something extends across a field or domain, not physical breadth.
- 手広いてびろいi-adjectiveConfined to the 'wide' of business scale: extensive dealings, large-scale operations, broadly based trade. It is not a general word for wide spaces or ranges — for those, 広い or 幅広い is what you want.
Use 「広い」 for physical width and space, 「ワイド」 as the loanword in set or specialized expressions, 「幅広い」 for broad ranges, 広範 for wide-reaching scope, and 「手広い」 only for extensive business dealings.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 広いひろいspacious
- ワイドwide
- 幅広いはばひろいextensive
- 広範こうはんwide
- 幅広はばびろwide (e.g. belt, shoes, ribbon)
- 幅の広いはばのひろいwide
- はばったいwide
- ぽこっとwide (open)
- 広漠こうばくvast
- 大局的たいきょくてきbroad (view, perspective, etc.)
- 曠然こうぜんextensive
- 広しひろしspacious
- 洋々ようようbroad
- 大きくおおきくin a big way
- ぱくりgaping (e.g. mouth, wound)
- 手広いてびろいextensive (business, dealings, etc.)
- ぽっかりwide (open)
- ファットfat
- ほっかり(gaping) wide
See also
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