LEARN + JAPANESE / 142 of 186 JLPT N3
First Things First, and Everything Else 第一・姿・何から何まで
第一に is a formal way to say “first of all” when laying out reasons or priorities. 姿 refers to a visible form, appearance, or state, often in expressions such as 本来の姿, “the original form.” The related N2 expression 何から何まで means “everything, from beginning to end”; it is included here as a forward link for learners ready to extend the same scope vocabulary.
First, we are considering safety, and second, ease of use.
第一に and 第二に organize points in a presentation, report, or explanation. They are more structured than simply saying まず and 次に.
After repairs, the machine returned to its original form.
姿 can mean a person’s appearance, a thing’s visible shape, or the state in which something presents itself. It is used with context to clarify which kind of “form” is intended.
In Real Life
In everyday descriptions, 姿 often appears with 見せる or 現す: 新しい姿を見せた, “showed a new face/form.” In a report, numbered points such as 第一に and 第二に make the order of an argument easy to follow.
Hint · 힌트
Use 第一に to mark a first point, 姿 for an observable form or state, and 何から何まで for the whole range of details. They overlap in broad English translations about “everything,” but their grammar and role differ.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| firstly; first | |
| secondly; second | |
| safety | |
| ease of use | |
| to consider | |
| repair | |
| to finish | |
| machine | |
| originally, proper | |
| form, appearance | |
| to return | |
| to show, reveal | |
| to show | |
| order, sequence | |
| presentation | |
| report | |
| reason | |
| range, scope | |
| whole | |
| details |
YOUR PROGRESS
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