広い vs 大きい
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
広い is about area — how much floor space or surface something has. 大きい is about overall size in every direction. A room, a park or a road is 広い when there is plenty of space to spread out; a dog, a house or a box is 大きい when the object itself is large. 広い also works figuratively in 心が広い, broad-minded. For the opposites, see 狭い vs 小さい.
When to use each
広い
ひろい
Use 広い for two-dimensional extent: rooms, floors, land, roads, gardens, seas, and by extension a broad range or a broad mind. If you could ask how many square metres, 広い is right.
この部屋は広いですね。
このへやはひろいですね。
This room is nice and spacious.
駅前の道は広いです。
えきまえのみちはひろいです。
The road in front of the station is wide.
大きい
おおきい
Use 大きい for the size of an object as a whole — animals, buildings, bags, numbers — and by extension a loud voice. It answers how big, not how much floor space.
公園に大きい犬がいます。
こうえんにおおきいいぬがいます。
There's a big dog in the park.
もう少し大きい声で話してください。
もうすこしおおきいこえではなしてください。
Please speak a little louder.
Sentences where only one works
大きい家ですが、部屋は広くありません。
おおきいいえですが、へやはひろくありません。
It's a big house, but the rooms aren't spacious.
The same building can be 大きい in outline and still have rooms that are not 広い. The sentence only works because the two words measure different things.
広い公園で子どもが遊んでいます。
ひろいこうえんでこどもがあそんでいます。
Children are playing in a big open park.
A park is valued for its ground area, so 広い. 大きい公園 is possible but shifts the focus to its size on a map.
田中さんは心が広いです。
たなかさんはこころがひろいです。
Tanaka is broad-minded.
A fixed figurative use of 広い. 心が大きい is not the standard phrase.
大きい声で歌いましょう。
おおきいこえでうたいましょう。
Let's sing loudly.
Volume is 大きい, never 広い.
Common mistakes
私のアパートは大きいです。
私のアパートは広いです。
When you mean there is plenty of living space, use 広い. 大きい describes the building's bulk, which is rarely what a tenant means.
広い犬
大きい犬
Animals and objects have size, not floor area, so 広い cannot modify them.
Frequently asked questions
Can both be used for a house?
Yes, with different meanings. 大きい家 is a large building seen from outside; 広い家 has lots of room inside. Estate ads talk about 広い.
Which do I use for a road?
広い道 for a wide road, and its opposite is 狭い道. 大きい道 is not standard; 大通り is the word for a main road.
What are the opposites?
広い to 狭い, and 大きい to 小さい, and the pairs stay parallel. See the 狭い vs 小さい page for the same distinction from the other side.