🦅 Project Eagle
synonym Comparative
大変な
VS
すさまじい

Differences Between "大変な" and "すさまじい"

Option A
大変な
Meaning
tough; hard; severe; dreadful; serious; enormous
Reading
たいへんな (taihen na)
Syllabus Level
N3
Practical Example
仕事が大変だったけど、やりがいがあった。
The job was tough, but it was rewarding.
Option B
すさまじい
Meaning
tremendous, dreadful, fierce, terrible, prodigious, amazing
Reading
すさまじい (susamajii)
Syllabus Level
N2
Practical Example
昨夜の嵐はすさまじい勢いだった。
Last night's storm was tremendously powerful.

Which one to use?

Select the correct Japanese word for this context

Which word fits this context: "(tough; hard; severe; dreadful; serious; enormous)"?
🎉 正解 / Correct!
使い分け解説:
- 大変な: A 'na-adjective' used to describe something difficult, arduous, or significant in scale. It can also express 'very' or 'terrible' depending on context. (物事が困難である、骨が折れる、または規模が大きいことを表す「な形容詞」です。文脈によっては「非常に」や「ひどい」という意味も持ちます。)
- すさまじい: Describes something extremely intense, powerful, or astonishing, often with a sense of awe or fear. It can be used for both positive (amazing power) and negative (dreadful storm) extreme situations.
🦅

Want to boost your Japanese vocabulary?

Project Eagle automatically tracks and targets your weak words using AI. Practice thousands of operational exams completely for free!