大人

大人

1. adult; grown-up

   萬聖節裝扮不是大人的專利，那些拍門討糖果的小孩裝扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, trad.]
   万圣节装扮不是大人的专利，那些拍门讨糖果的小孩装扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, simp.]

   Wànshèngjié zhuāngbàn bùshì dàrén de zhuānlì, nàxiē pāi mén tǎo tángguǒ de xiǎohái zhuāngbàn yě kěyǐ shífēn chūsè! [Pinyin]

   Halloween costumes are not just for adults - the costumes of children who ask for candy can also be extraordinary!

   轉大人 [Hokkien, trad.]
   转大人 [Hokkien, simp.]

   tńg tōa-lâng [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   to grow up into an adult

address towards Japanese officials; "police officer"

Borrowed from Japanese 大人 (taijin), from Chinese 大人 (dàrén).

大人

1. (archaic) person of high rank (such as a ruler or noble)

   Antonym: 小人 (xiǎorén)

   • 孟子曰：「說大人，則藐之，勿視其巍巍然。……」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     孟子曰：「说大人，则藐之，勿视其巍巍然。……」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Mèngzǐ yuē: “Shuō dàrén, zé miǎo zhī, wù shì qí wēiwēi rán.......” [Pinyin]

     Mencius said, "When one counsels a powerful man one must view him as very small and ignore his grandeur. [...]"

   • 故兼者聖王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，萬民衣食之所以足也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     故兼者圣王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，万民衣食之所以足也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version

     Gù jiān zhě shèngwáng zhī dào yě, wánggōngdàrén zhī suǒyǐ ān yě, wànmín yīshí zhī suǒyǐ zú yě. [Pinyin]

     Therefore, inclusivity is really the way of the sage-kings. It is what gives peace to the kings, nobles, and magnates and sustenance to the people.

   • 段公，仁信大人也，而汝不知敬。今段公唯一馬，賤賣市穀入汝，汝取之不恥。凡為人傲天災、犯大人、擊無罪者，又取仁者穀，使主人出無馬，汝將何以視天地，尚不媿奴隸耶！ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     段公，仁信大人也，而汝不知敬。今段公唯一马，贱卖市谷入汝，汝取之不耻。凡为人傲天灾、犯大人、击无罪者，又取仁者谷，使主人出无马，汝将何以视天地，尚不愧奴隶耶！ [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 814, 柳宗元 (Liu Zongyuan),《段太尉逸事狀》, translation based on Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang

     Duàn gōng, rénxìn dàrén yě, ér rǔ bùzhī jìng. Jīn Duàn gōng wéi yī mǎ, jiànmài shì gǔ rù rǔ, rǔ qǔ zhī bùchǐ. Fán wéirén ào tiānzāi, fàn dàrén, jī wúzuì zhě, yòu qǔ rénzhě gǔ, shǐ zhǔrén chū wúmǎ, rǔ jiāng héyǐ shì tiāndì, shàng bù kuì núlì yé! [Pinyin]

     Duan is a kind-hearted, honest, noble man, yet you have no respect for him. He sold his sole horse cheap to buy grain to pay you, and you took it brazenly. You have disregarded a heaven-sent calamity, opposed a respectable gentleman, beaten an innocent man, and taken a good man's grain, leaving him with no horse to ride. How can you face heaven and earth? You should lower your head before your slaves!

2. (honorific) Your Excellency; His Excellency (form of address to a higher-up)

   Synonym: 閣下 / 阁下 (géxià)

   法官大人  ―  fǎguān dàrén  ―  Your Honour

3. (literary) form of address to one's parents or elder members of the family
4. (historical, Taiwanese Hokkien and Japanese-occupied Shantou Teochew) An address used by ordinary citizens to address Japanese occupation officials: sir
5. (Taiwanese Hokkien, dated or regional) police officer
6. (Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien, religion) paper person, used as a scapegoat

• (paper person): (Hokkien) 魂身

Others:

• → Amis: tayring

• 陈业建 (20 December 2015) “抗战时期潮人的特殊口语”, in 汕头特区晚报‎^[1]
• “大人”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Appears in sources from the Heian period. Derivation unknown.

• 乙名 (only for the "leader" senses)

• (Tokyo) おとな [òtóná] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [o̞to̞na̠]

大人(おとな) • (otona) 

1. an adult, a grown-up

   大人(おとな)（へ）の階(かい)段(だん)をのぼる

   otona (e) no kaidan o noboru

   to ascend the staircase of (/towards) [being an] adult: to mature

   • 2010 December 8, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)三(さん)百(びゃく)二(に)十(じゅう)二(に)訓(くん)　二(に)度(ど)あることは三(さん)度(ど)ある [Lesson 322: Twice, Thrice That There Are]”, in 銀(ぎん)魂(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 37 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:

     まずはこのローションをかぶってだな

     Mazu wa kono rōshon o kabutte da na

     First we slap on some lotion

     ちょっと待(ま)てぇぇぇ‼　それどこの大人(おとな)のプールぅ⁉

     Chotto mateeee‼ Sore doko no otona no pūrū⁉

     Hold o-o-o-on!! Are you tryna turn this place into an adult pool!?

2. (uncommon, possibly archaic) a leader:
   1. an elder of a group or community
   2. in the late Muromachi period, the representative of a village or guild
   3. the head lady-in-waiting
   4. one's wife
   5. in the Edo period, a kind of civil servant working in Nagasaki
   6. the head servant

大人(おとな) • (otona) -na (adnominal 大人(おとな)な (otona na), adverbial 大人(おとな)に (otona ni))

1. mature; grown-up

   大人(おとな)な感(かん)じのお店(みせ)

   otona na kanji no o-mise

   shop that has a mature atmosphere

   大人(おとな)な対(たい)応(おう)

   otona na taiō

   mature response to the situation

2. adult; sexual

From Old Japanese.^[3] Appears in the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720 CE. Derivation unknown.

• 卿

• (Tokyo) うし [úꜜshì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ɕi]

大人(うし) • (ushi) 

1. (honorific) a lord, a landowner
2. an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own father
3. an honorific form of reference for the addressee

From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑi^H ȵʑjen, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Hokkien 大人 (tāi-jîn / tāi-lîn), Cantonese 大人 (daai⁶ jan⁴).

The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

• (Tokyo) たいじん [tàíjíń] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ta̠iʑĩɴ]

大(たい)人(じん) • (taijin) 

1. a large person
2. a giant
3. an adult
4. a person of high rank, a ruler or noble
5. an honorific form of reference for a scholar or teacher, or one's own parent
6. a daimyo

From Middle Chinese 大人 (dɑi^H ȵiɪn, literally “big, great + person”). Compare modern Hakka 大人 (thai-ngìn).

The goon reading, so likely an earlier borrowing.

• (Tokyo) だいにん [dàíníń] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [da̠iɲ̟ĩɴ]

大(だい)人(にん) • (dainin) 

1. an adult, a grown-up
2. (Buddhism) the Buddhas and bodhisattvas

大人 • (daein) (hangeul 대인)

1. hanja form^? of 대인 (“adult”)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *opopito.

From 大 (ufu-, “big”) +‎ 人 (tchu, “person”).

• IPA^(key): /ʔuɸutt͡ɕu/

大(うふ)人(っちゅ) (ufutchu) 

1. adult

   大(うふ)人(っちゅ)ぬ配(くば)い

   ufutchu nu kubai

   treatment of an adult

Borrowed from Japanese 大人 (otona).

• IPA^(key): /ʔutuna/

大人(うとぅな) (utuna) 

1. (literary) adult

   一(いち)のかいぢ二(に)かいぢ読(よ)でど遊(あす)びゆたる何時(いつ)の間(ま)に里(さと)や大人(おとな)なたが

   ichi nu keji ni ni keji yudidu ashibyutaru ichi nu ma ni satu ya utuna nataga

   You used to play around by [counting stones and] counting one to two times, but when is the time that you have become an adult?

• “うふっちゅ【大人】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ウフッチュ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).^{(permanent dead link)}
• “ウトゥナ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).^{(permanent dead link)}

大人

1. chữ Hán form of đại nhân (“noble man”)