堂々
Meaning in Englishmagnificent, grand, impressive
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
堂々 means to appear or behave in a grand, confident, and dignified manner, conveying self-assurance and legitimacy in one's actions or presence.
Main meanings
- 堂々とする (どうどうとする) — boldly, with confidence
- 堂々とした (どうどうとした) — dignified, imposing in appearance
- 威風堂々 (いふうどうどう) — majestic, imposing presence
How to use it
Used in formal writing, journalism, speeches, and literary contexts to describe demeanor or performance; commonly paired with とする to form adverbial use (堂々と) and with たる to describe the subject (堂々たる).
Variants and close terms
- 威風堂々 (いふうどうどう) — majesty, imposing presence
- 堂々とする (どうどうとする) — bold, self-assured action
- 堂々たる (どうどうたる) — dignified, imposing appearance
- 卑屈とは対照的な語彷徨いを示す antonymic sense
Composition
- 堂: hall, main room; a public or formal space; conveys a sense of gravity and authority
- 々: iteration mark, indicates repetition or emphasis of the preceding kanji
- Overall: the repetition of 堂 emphasizes grandeur and an unyielding, prominent presence
Etymology
on'yomi dō; the iteration mark 々 repeats the preceding character, intensifying the sense of grandeur, yielding a compound that conveys being grand or imposing.
Origin
The concept appears in classical Japanese texts describing conduct and presence, with intensified usage in later periods to praise public bearing and self-assurance; it evolved from combining the meaning of堂 (hall, main) with repetition to express amplification of that quality.
Word class
word type: adjective (na-adjective) / adverb; Japanese type: 形容動詞/副詞