Today I am going to share the Q&A quoted from my JLPT N5 course!

 

[Student’s question]

 

Sensei,
why is 多い人 incorrect?
I understand i-adjectives come before the noun (e.g. 大きい家 a big house).
Did I learn wrong?

*多(おお)い
人(ひと)
大(おお)きい
家(いえ)

 

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[My Reply]

 

Normal i-adjectives can come before a noun, but not 多い (おおい).

That’s because 多い is used as an “amount indicator” in some sentences, not directly modifying the noun in the way other i-adjectives do.

This is similar to how 先生が一人います (“There is one teacher”) is correct, but 一人先生がいます is incorrect.
一人(ひとり) ; a counter for people(amount indicator)

Like an amount indicator, if you add の, it can be used with the noun. Therefore:
◎多くの人
◎一人の先生

So, you should say:
・多くの人がいます。
・人がたくさんいます。(Here, たくさん is used as an adverb.)

Also, if a sentence containing 多い modifies a noun, 多い may come before that noun, acting like a relative clause:

「ちこくが多い」人
＝ちこくが多い人
People who are often late.

「しごとが多い」日
＝しごとが多い日
A day with a lot of work

 

I hope my answer helps you.😊

 

 

In the JLPT course, you can ask me any questions as much as you want.
I will teach you until you get it!