大概

dà gài

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Adjective Very common

Definitions

1 item

definite

确切 means exact or precise, opposite of approximate.

1 item

almost

差不多 means almost or nearly; often used colloquially.

2 items

might (happen)

When expressing probability or likelihood, 可能 is similar but 大概 sounds more approximate.

approximately

Both mean approximately, but 大约 is more formal and often used with numbers.

Use 大概 + number to give an approximate amount (e.g., 大概五个人 about five people).

Learners often overuse 大概 with 可能; 大概 implies an estimation, while 可能 is pure possibility.

1 shown

他大概有三十岁。

He is probably around thirty years old.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

big; large; great

see 大夫[dài fu]

general