偉い
えらい
hepburn erai
great, admirable, eminent
Part of speech · i-adjective
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 一人で全部できて、本当に偉いですね。You did it all by yourself — that is really admirable.
- 彼は会社で偉い人になりました。He has become an important person at the company.
Collocations
偉い人偉くなる本当に偉い偉そう偉い先生
Mnemonic
偉い erai — from 偉 (great): the person radical 亻 with 韋, an extraordinary person — "admirable, great." Two senses: praise ("well done," often to children) and high rank, as in 偉い人 (an important person). Note 偉そう (acting self-important) carries a negative tone. An i-adjective.
Quick check
What nuance does 偉そう carry?