大
だい · dai · JLPT N3 · prefix
big
🐘 大 is a person 人 with arms flung wide, as if saying it was this big
The character began as a drawing of a standing person with arms and legs spread out. Add a stroke at the top for 天 (heaven), or a dot for 太 (too much / fat). In compounds it is read dai or tai, as in 大学 (daigaku, university).
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.