大変だ
taihen da
JA
An expression used to indicate something is difficult, terrible, or a big problem; often used to convey surprise, hardship, or urgency.
電車が止まって、通勤するのが大変だった。
The train stopped, so commuting to work was really difficult.
Etymology
Composed of the kanji 大 (big, great) and 変 (change, event), the word originally meant 'a major event' before taking on the modern meaning of hardship or difficulty.
Memory Aid
Remember that 大 means 'big' and 変 means 'change' — a big unexpected change is usually a difficult situation, so 大変だ means 'it's tough!'
Collocations
大変だった大変ですね本当に大変だ
Synonyms
大変難しい大変なこと
Antonyms
楽だ簡単だ
Related Words
困った大変苦労