だいたい

だいたい is a versatile adverb meaning about or roughly, and it can also express generality or a rough estimate. It softens precision, so it’s common when you’re not giving exact figures or when you’re speaking in general terms. It can also be used to indicate the gist rather than specifics, or to preface a contrast with what you consider the basics. When used with a noun form の, だいたいの X means “the general X” or “most X.” In casual conversation it often appears before a verb or adjective to mean “roughly” or “approximately.” Example nuance: - Roughly estimating money or time: だいたい三千円ぐらいだ。 (It’s about three thousand yen.) - Generalization: だいたいの人は賛成だ。 (Most people are in favor.) - In the first place / basic sense: だいたいの原因は… (The main cause is…) Note: だいたい can also be used by itself at the start of a sentence to mean “mostly” or “in general,” and in casual speech it can replace more precise figures or details.