大丈夫
だいじょうぶ
hepburn daijoubu
all right, OK, fine
Part of speech · na-adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 大丈夫ですか?Are you OK?
- もう大丈夫です、ありがとう。I'm fine now, thanks.
Collocations
大丈夫 (daijoubu, OK / fine — na-adj)大丈夫?(daijoubu?, "you OK?")結構です (kekkou desu, "I'm fine / no thanks")心配しないで (shinpai shinaide, don't worry)お大事に (odaiji ni, take care — after illness)
Mnemonic
大丈夫 daijoubu — kanji "great (大) + manly/strong (丈夫)" = "strong-man-like" = safe, certain. Korean shares the same kanji as daejangbu but Japan stretched it into everyday "OK / no problem". A Swiss-army phrase covering accidents, health, plans, refusals. Trap: 大丈夫 carries layered meanings: (1) "I'm OK" (yes), (2) "no thanks" (soft refusal — "飲み物いかがですか? 大丈夫です" = "I'm fine, no drink"). The most-confused word among foreigners. The Korean gwaenchanda and Chinese 没事 share similar ambivalence.
Quick check
Reply "大丈夫です" to "飲み物いかがですか?" means?