大家

おおや

landlord

JLPT N3

Character Breakdown

Usage of 大家

大家 is a very common and friendly way to address or refer to a group of people collectively, equivalent to "everyone" or "everybody" in English. It is often used in greetings, instructions, or when making general statements about a group.

Common contexts

  • Greeting a group: "大家" (Hello everyone)
  • Giving instructions or requests to a group: "大家安静" (Please everyone be quiet)
  • Making general statements about opinions or actions of a group: "大家..." (Everyone says...)

Collocations and patterns

Nuances

大家 is informal and warm, suitable for both spoken and written Chinese. It implies inclusiveness and is often used to create a sense of community or shared experience. It is not used for formal or official group names.

Common confusion

Don't confuse 大家 with 大家 (dàjiā) meaning "experts" or "masters" in some contexts, which is a different usage and less common in everyday speech. Here, 大家 simply means "everyone".

Example Sentences

Hello everyone, I am Li Ming.

Everyone, please be quiet, we are about to start.

Everyone says this movie is very good.

Only if everyone works hard together can the task be completed.

It's raining, everyone remember to bring an umbrella.