JLPT N3 · Noun / adverb

一体 (ittai)

一体 (いったい, ittai) is a Japanese noun / adverb meaning “(what) the heck; (why) in the world”. It appears in JLPT N3 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: いったい
Romaji: ittai
Word class: Noun / adverb
Level: JLPT N3 (unofficial)

Meaning

(what) the heck; (why) in the world; (who) on earth; (where) the hell; (how) the hell · adverb · before an interrogative; forms an emphatic question
one object; one body; one unit; one group; one mass · noun
one form; one style; one format; one fashion · noun
one Buddhist image; one carving; one sculpture · noun
one corpse; one sample (of bones, remains, etc.) · noun

Example sentences

一体どこで彼に会ったんだ。

Where on earth did you meet him?

Tatoeba #190362

いったいなぜ彼を駅に連れて行ったの？

Why on earth did you take him to the station?

Tatoeba #228912

ストライキとは従業員の集団が一体となって就労を拒否することです。

A strike is a mass refusal to work by a body of employees.

Tatoeba #214594

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Kanji in 一体

one, one radical (no.1)イチ・イツ・ひと-・ひと.つ · 1 strokes

body, substance, objectタイ・テイ・からだ・かたち · 7 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 一体.

一いちone一日いちにちone day一番いちばんnumber one一緒いっしょ(doing) together一日ついたちfirst day of the month一つひとつone一月ひとつきone month一人ひとりone person一昨日おとといday before yesterday一度いちどonce一杯いっぱいone cup (of)一生懸命いっしょうけんめいvery hard一時いちじone o'clock一家いっかa family

Source: JMdict entry 1164510 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.