主(おも)な

おもな
pre-noun adjectival
main; major; principal
1. main; major; principal; primary
Used before nouns to indicate the most important, significant, or representative item(s) from a larger group.
主(おも)な原因(げんいん)は何(なん)ですか。
What is the main cause?
主(おも)な産業(さんぎょう)は農業(のうぎょう)と観光(かんこう)です。
The main industries are agriculture and tourism.
会議(かいぎ)の主(おも)な議題(ぎだい)について説明(せつめい)します。
I will explain the main topics of the meeting.

A pre-noun adjectival (連体詞(れんたいし)) that can only appear directly before a noun. Unlike な-adjectives, it cannot be used as a predicate (*これが主(おも)なだ is ungrammatical). For predicate use, the related adjective 主(おも)に (mainly) serves as the adverbial form.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 主(おも)な原因(げんいん): main cause
  • 主(おも)な目的(もくてき): main purpose
  • 主(おも)な理由(りゆう): main reason
  • 主(おも)な特徴(とくちょう): main features
  • 主(おも)な内容(ないよう): main contents

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 主要(しゅよう)な: principal, major — more formal, used in written contexts and official documents
  • 重要(じゅうよう)な: important — emphasizes significance rather than being the main one
  • 中心的(ちゅうしんてき)な: central — emphasizes being at the center

Related Words

Synonym: 主要(しゅよう) (main, principal (formal))
general
Added 2026.4.1 0:25 · Revised 2026.4.10 16:12
21000/21018_omona