What does "tai" mean?
A fish, the Japanese bream.
Tai
/taɪ/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fish, the Japanese bream.
- Grammar: tai is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: along with, and, as well as, japanese sea bream.
- Useful contrasts: but, however, nevertheless.
- Usage evidence: Though I am in the tiger's mouth, I am as calm as Mount Tai.
How to use "tai"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tai" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tai" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tai" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tai" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tai" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "along with" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tai", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fish, the Japanese bream.
- 2 A descendant of speakers of a common proto-Tai language, including subpopulations which no longer speak a Tai language.
"The Tais first appeared in history in Yunnan, and from thence they migrated into Upper Burma. The earliest swarms appear to have entered that tract about two thousand years ago, and were small in number."
- 3 Initialism of trifluoromethylaminoindane. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 4 the most widespread and best known of the Kadai family of languages wordnet
- 5 Initialism of technical analysis indicator. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 1 more definition
- 6 a native or inhabitant of Thailand wordnet
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to Thailand wordnet
- 2 of or relating to the languages of the Thai people wordnet
- 3 of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand or its people wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria.
- 2 An ancient city and former polity under the Xia dynasty in present-day Wugong, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China. historical
"The first ancestor of Zhou tribe was Hou Ji who originally lived in Tai (today's Wugong of Shaanxi), and duke of Liu, his successor, moved to Bin (today's Bin county of Shaanxi), and then passed down to the lord of Dan.[…] Qi later settled down in Tai (southwest of Wugong county of today's Shaanxi), which was located the center of the fertile land of Weibei Plain.[…] The poem Duke Liu, which only has 6 sections and 234 Chinese characters in total, vividly narrates duke Liu's moving from Tai (today's Wugong county, Shaanxi province) to Bin (today's Binxian county, Shaanxi province) and big events regarding him in a very organized structure."
- 3 Alternative form of Dai. alt-of, alternative
"Five short stories concern land reform, elections in the border region, and anti-Japanese activities:[...] e) “Feng-pao Tai-hsien-chʻeng” 風暴代縣城 (Storms in Tai County). A twenty-year-old anti-Japanese hero does not surrender even when he is captured and executed."
- 4 A surname.
"The company on Nov. 3 last year asked an employee surnamed Tai (戴) to deliver 10 barrels of silane — a flammable alkaline substance — from Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州) to Sinyuan Township (新園) without telling him what the cargo would be, Tseng said at a news conference on behalf of Tai, adding that the company did not even have a license to deliver the dangerous substance."
- 5 Abbreviation of Frenchtemps atomique international (“International Atomic Time”), a high-precision atomic coordinate time standard. abbreviation, alt-of
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A female given name from Chinese.
- 7 A surname from Chinese.
- 8 Initialism of Toshiba America, Inc.. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 9 A branch of the Tai-Kadai language family, including Thai, Lao, Shan, and Zhuang.
- 10 Initialism of Turkish Aerospace Industries. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 11 Initialism of Thai Airways International. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 12 Initialism of Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux, a now defunct French airline. abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Though I am in the tiger's mouth, I am as calm as Mount Tai."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tai"?
Common synonyms include: along with, and, as well as, japanese sea bream, plus, red sea bream.
How do you use "tai" in a sentence?
Though I am in the tiger's mouth, I am as calm as Mount Tai.
How do you pronounce "tai"?
Pronounced /taɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Japanese 鯛 (たい, tai).
Etymology 2
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 邰 (Tái) and 斄 /𭤎 (Tái).
Etymology 3
From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 代 (dài).
Etymology 4
From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin 戴 (Dài), as well as from its Cantonese pronunciation Daai³.