だいたい・大体daitai[0]heiban (flat)

1. adverbgenerally; on the whole; mostly; almost; nearly; approximately; roughly; about
   仕事しごとはだいたい終おわった。↗

   The work is mostly done.

   だいたいどのくらいの時間じかんがかかりますか。↗

   About how long will it take?
2. no-adjectivegeneral; rough
3. nounoutline; main points; gist; substance; essence
4. adverbin the first place; first and foremost; from the start; to begin with
   だいたいあんた、この寒さむいのにノースリーブで何なんいってんのよ。↗

   Anyway what are you on about? Going around sleeveless in this cold.

• Synonym大方おおかたNeutralMeans 'the greater part' or 'probably'; it also serves for conjecture, as in 「大方そうだろう」.
• SynonymたいていNeutralMeans 'usually; in most cases', as in 「たいてい家にいる」; it stresses frequency rather than degree or amount.
• Synonym大概たいがいNeutralMeans 'mostly; the greater part', and also appears in 「冗談も大概にしろ」, telling someone to show moderation.
• SynonymおよそWrittenMeans 'about; approximately', mostly with quantities, as in 「およそ百人」; with a negative it means 'not at all'.
• Synonym一通りひととおりNeutralMeans going over something roughly from start to finish, as in 「一通り目を通す」; it stresses a quick pass covering everything.
• SynonymほぼNeutralMeans 'almost; nearly', as in 「ほぼ完成した」; it stresses being close to complete.
• SynonymおおむねWrittenWritten/formal prose for 'on the whole; generally', as in 「おおむね良好」; it leans toward formal reports.
• SynonymあらかたWrittenA written word for 'roughly; almost all', as in 「あらかた片付いた」.
• Synonym基本的にきほんてきにNeutralMeans 'basically; in principle', as in 「基本的に賛成です」.
• Related主におもにNeutralMeans 'mainly', focusing on what is primary, as in 「主に学生が使う」; it does not express approximation.
• Related主としてしゅとしてFormalFormal and written-leaning: 'mainly; chiefly', as in 「主として女性向け」.
• Related多くおおくNeutralMeans 'many; the majority', stressing sheer numbers, as in 「多くの人」.
• Antonym詳細しょうさいWrittenThe antonym: 'details; particulars', as in 「詳細は後日」; a written word for the fine points.

For 'generally; roughly', 「大体」 is the default. In written prose say 「概ね」; for approximate numbers, 「およそ」; for 'almost', 「ほぼ」; for 'usually', 「たいてい」; for 'mainly', 「主に」; for a rough once-over, 「一通り」; for full details, 「詳細」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. ほとんど全部ぜんぶ。大抵たいてい。
2. ほぼその数量すうりょうであるさま。
3. そもそも。
4. 主要しゅような部分ぶぶん。
5. 大部分だいぶぶん。