たくさん

た

く

さ

ん

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun, adverb

a lot; many; much; plenty

usually written using kana alone

Indicates a large quantity or number. Used as an adverb, adjective, or noun. Very common in everyday speech.

冷れい蔵ぞう庫こに野や菜さいがたくさんある。
There are a lot of vegetables in the fridge.

今日きょうはたくさん歩あるいた。

I walked a lot today.

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun, adverb

enough; sufficient

usually written using kana alone

Expresses that the amount is adequate or satisfactory. Often used in negative or conditional sentences to mean 'no more is needed'.

もうたくさんです。
That's enough, thank you.
お金かねはたくさんあるから心しん配ぱいしないで。
I have enough money, so don't worry.

noun, used as a suffix

enough; too many; too much

usually written using kana alone

Only with reading だくさん

Suffix-like use after a noun, usually read as だくさん. Indicates an excessive or sufficient amount of the preceding noun. Rare and somewhat old-fashioned.

Written forms

たくさんUsage83%
Usually written in kana. The kanji spelling 沢山 exists but is less common in modern Japanese.
沢たく山さんUsage17%
Kanji spelling; seen in formal or literary contexts, but kana is preferred in everyday writing.

Kanji

沢swamp, marsh, brilliance
山mountain

Similar words

いっぱい
いっぱい is more casual and often means 'full' or 'a lot' in a physical sense, while たくさん is more neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
十じゅう分ぶん
十分 means 'enough' or 'sufficient' with a focus on adequacy, while たくさん in its 'enough' sense can imply 'more than enough' or 'plenty'.

Etymology

Originally from the kanji 沢 (marsh, many) and 山 (mountain), suggesting an abundance like marshes and mountains. The reading たくさん is a kun'yomi compound. The suffix reading だくさん is a voiced variant.