一体 (Ittai) is a Japanese adverb meaning “(what) the heck, (why) in the world, (who) on earth, (where) the hell”.
Meanings
- adverb(what) the heck; (why) in the world; (who) on earth; (where) the hell; (how) the hellbefore an interrogative; forms an emphatic question
- nounone object; one body; one unit; one group; one mass
- nounone form; one style; one format; one fashion
- nounone Buddhist image; one carving; one sculpture
- nounone corpse; one sample (of bones, remains, etc.)
- adverbgenerally; in general; on the whole; by and large; for the most partalso as ～に
Examples
一体誰かしら？
Who ever can it be?
一体どうしたんだ。
What on earth is the matter?
一体、どうしたの。
What on earth is the matter?
Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).