大半(たいはん)

大半(たいはん) means "the majority" or "most of" something, typically indicating more than 50%.

COMMON PATTERNS:

• 〜の大半(たいはん) (the majority of ~)
• 大半(たいはん)が〜 (most are ~)
• 大半(たいはん)は〜 (for the most part, ~)

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:

• ほとんど: almost all, nearly (closer to 90-100%)
• 大部分(だいぶぶん): the greater part (similar to 大半(たいはん))
• 過半数(かはんすう): majority (specifically more than half, often in voting)
• 大多数(だいたすう): the great majority

NUANCE:

• 大半(たいはん) suggests roughly 60-80%
• It's less absolute than ほとんど but clearly more than half