過半(かはん)

かはん
noun
majority; more than half
1. majority; more than half; the greater part
Refers to a quantity exceeding fifty percent. Common in political, statistical, and business contexts.
過半(かはん)の議席(ぎせき)を獲得(かくとく)した。
They won a majority of the seats.
参加者(さんかしゃ)の過半(かはん)が賛成(さんせい)した。
More than half of the participants agreed.
売上(うりあげ)の過半(かはん)を海外(かいがい)市場(しじょう)が占(し)めている。
The overseas market accounts for the majority of sales.

A formal, somewhat literary word for "more than half." Most commonly encountered in the compound 過半数(かはんすう) (majority number), which is the standard word for "majority" in voting and parliamentary contexts.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 過半数(かはんすう): majority (of votes)
  • 過半数(かはんすう)を占(し)める: to constitute a majority
  • 過半(かはん)を超(こ)える: to exceed half

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 大半(たいはん): the greater part, most (implies well over half)
  • 半数(はんすう)以上(いじょう): half or more (more precise, less formal)
  • 多数(たすう): a large number, the majority (not necessarily over 50%)
general
Added 2026.4.3 6:24
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