大
big, great
At a glance · 大
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
大字甲骨文象人张开手足之形，本义为巨大、广大；金文、小篆承之。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
大本义为巨大、广大，与『小』相对。
Structure
大为象形字，描摹正面人形张开四肢，表大。
At a glance
Pinyindà
Radical大
Strokes3
UnicodeU+5927
Character type象形
Theme其他
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
big, great
Da is a pictograph of a person with outstretched limbs, meaning big and great.
Français
grand
Da est un pictogramme d'une personne aux membres étendus, signifiant grand.
Español
grande
Da es un pictograma de una persona con miembros extendidos, significa grande.
العربية
كبير
دا رسم تخطيطي لشخص بذراعين مفتوحتين، ويعني الكبير.
Русский
большой, великий
Да — пиктограмма человека с раскинутыми конечностями, означает большой и великий.
Common words
- 大小dà xiǎosize
- 大学dà xuéuniversity