Meaning

Primary

Crowd

Alternative

A Large Number

Word Type

noun, の adjective

Explanation

A large force is a group of people. Just think about when this word was probably made up... a long time ago, and the biggest force you could have was a huge group of people. This group of people force is also known as a crowd, or a large number of people.

Reading

おおぜい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading for is the おお reading (like 大きい). Nothing you can do about that but remember it. Then, is rendaku'd to become ぜい. Also something you'll just have to remember. Say this word a few times in your head, then you'll be able to come up with an idea of what sounds right and what sounds wrong so that you can figure it out next time this word comes up.

Context

Context Sentences

大勢の生徒の出席を取る時、たまに一人か二人、名前を飛ばしてしまうことがあります。

When I take the attendance of a large number of students, I sometimes skip over one or two names.

ブラピを一目見ようとする見物人が大勢集まりました。

A large crowd of onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt.

大勢の人の前で話す事に慣れていないので、今からもう手が震えています。

I’m not used to speaking in front of crowds, so my hands are already shaking.

Kanji Composition