Meaning

Primary

Great

Alternatives

Excellent, Admirable, Remarkable

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

This is a single kanji with an on the end, meaning you know it's probably an adjective. What's the adjective form of greatness? Great!

Reading

えらい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

The only thing a great person doesn't do is make errors (えら). That's what makes them so great. They can always sense when an error is about to happen and they correct it before it even has a chance!

Context

Context Sentences

社長がそんなに偉いんですか?

What makes the company president so great?

Kanji Composition