The word 大忙{おおいそが}し is classified as a noun or a na-adjective.

If I analyze it correctly, the word 大忙し consists of the prefix (接頭語) "大" and
the i-adjective stem of "忙しい." In addition, there is no such i-adjective as
"大忙しい."

Out of curiosity, I'd like to ask if anyone knows other compound words that
end with an i-adjective stem and are only used as a noun or a na-adjective
(its i-adjective form doesn't exist).
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2019-10-30T01:11:39.697
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2020-03-29T07:00:50.260
2019-10-31T01:33:17.230
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question
adjectives compounds morphology
Compound word ending with an adjective stem (形容詞語幹) and used as a noun or a na-adjective
Many adjective stems work like a standalone noun or an element of a compound,
for example:

  * 丸い - 丸太 - 赤丸 - 丸
  * 悪い - 悪者 - 性悪 - ワル
  * 黒い - 黒子 - 中黒 - 黒
  * 長い - 長靴 - 気長
  * 軽い - 軽業 - 手軽
  * 辛い - 辛口 - 激辛
  * 厚い - 厚着 - 肉厚
  * 安い - 安物 - 株安
  * 生臭い - 生臭坊主; 有難い - 有難迷惑; 面白い - 面白サイト
  * 短い - 手短; ヤバい - 激ヤバ
  * 古い - お古; めでたい - おめでた

If you are looking for words like these, the list would be very long. However,
大忙し is different from these in that 忙し seems to be working like a noun _along
with okurigana_. And I think such words are rare.

  * 柔らかい - 柔らか頭 - お手柔らか  
(But 柔らか may be a distinct na-adjective)

  * 嬉しい - 嬉し泣き; 苦しい - 苦し紛れ  
(But the stems do not come at the end of a compound)

  * 愛しい - 愛し(の); 懐かしい - 懐かし(の); 麗しい - 麗し(の)  
(But these are not compounds)

I could think of no word that is perfectly like 大忙し...
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2019-10-31T05:17:09.250
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2019-10-31T05:17:09.250
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answer