だいたい vs ほとんど (daitai vs hotondo) :JLPT Grammar

[Student’s sentence]

 

先週覚えた漢字はだいたい忘れました。
I have almost forgotten the kanji I learned last week.

*せんしゅうおぼえたかんじはだいたいわすれました。

 






 

[My correction]

 

先週覚えた漢字はだいたい忘れました。
→先週覚えた漢字はほとんど忘れました。
I have almost forgotten the kanji I learned last week.

 

Use ほとんど to express “nearly all, almost all of a certain amount.”
だいたい translates to “roughly, approximately, but with some parts missing.”
If you want to say “I have forgotten almost all the Kanji I learned,” use ほとんど.

 

Examples:

このキャラクターのグッズはほとんど持(も)っている。
I have most of the merchandise for this character.
(= I own nearly all of it.)

 

宿題(しゅくだい)はほとんど終(お)わりました。
I have almost finished my homework.
(= Nearly all of it is done.)

 

話(はなし)の内容(ないよう)はだいたいわかりました。
I generally understood the story.
(= I grasped the general idea.)

 

日曜日(にちようび)はだいたい休(やす)みです。
I am usually off on Sundays.
(= More often than not, I have Sundays off.)

 

 

In the JLPT course, each lesson includes homework. Submit your homework, and I’ll provide corrections. I’ll break down Japanese grammar, highlighting mistakes and explaining structures and nuances in a simple way. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need—I’m here to help you understand!