大人|おとなotona[0]heiban (flat)
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- no-adjective, na-adjectiveadult; grown-up
Conjugation
| Plain form | 大人(おとな) |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 大人です(おとなです) |
| Negative (dewa nai) | 大人ではない(おとなではない) |
| polite (dewa arimasen) | 大人ではありません(おとなではありません) |
| Past (datta) | 大人だった(おとなだった) |
| Past negative (dewa nakatta) | 大人ではなかった(おとなではなかった) |
| Te form (de) | 大人で(おとなで) |
| Adverbial (ni) | 大人に(おとなに) |
| Conditional (nara) | 大人なら(おとななら) |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
- Synonym成人せいじんWrittenWritten/formal and legal term for an adult, as in 「成人式」; in everyday speech 「大人」 is used instead.
- Synonym大人だいにんNeutralThe same word read 「だいにん」, used mainly on signs for tickets and fares, as in 「大人(だいにん)千円」.
- Synonym成年者せいねんしゃFormalFormal legal term for a person who has reached the age of majority; not used in everyday speech.
- RelatedアダルトNeutralLoanword for adult, but it often implies explicit content, as in 「アダルトサイト」.
- Antonym子供こどもNeutralAntonym of 「大人」; the most common everyday word for a child.
- Antonym小人しょうにんWrittenWritten counterpart of 「大人(だいにん)」; read 「しょうにん」, it means child on fares and tickets.
In everyday speech say 「大人」; legal and formal contexts use 「成人」 or 「成年者」. On tickets and fares 「大人」 is read 「だいにん」 and children are 「小人」 (「しょうにん」). 「アダルト」 often implies adult (explicit) content.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


