LEARN + JAPANESE / 28 of 186 JLPT N5
Top of the List 一番
一番 means “number one,” and sitting in front of an adjective it works as a superlative, “the most.” Pair it with 〜の中で (among ~) to name the group being compared.
〜のうちで can name the same kind of group, especially a defined set of choices: 3つの案のうちで, “among the three proposals.”
Of the three, Yamada is the kindest.
Of the three proposals, this one is the most realistic.
Which restaurant in this town is the most popular?
Hint · 힌트
〜の中で names the pool being compared, three people, this town, your family, and 一番 always sits right before the adjective doing the ranking. Unlike English, which can drop the group (“the kindest”), Japanese leans on 〜の中で constantly to make clear what the comparison is actually against.
Out of foreign cuisines, what do you eat the most?
What's the most delicious food you've had on your travels so far?
Hint · 힌트
一番 works on past-tense adjectives exactly the same way, 一番美味しかった (was the most delicious) just conjugates the adjective normally and leaves 一番 untouched in front of it. The superlative marker never changes shape, only the thing it’s ranking does.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| serious, diligent | |
| energetic, healthy | |
| skilled, good at | |
| interest | |
| lively, bustling | |
| vehicle | |
| travel, trip | |
| late, slow | |
| slowly | |
| a lot | |
| to compare | |
| second (in order) | |
| the best, the greatest | |
| the worst, the lowest | |
| all, everything | |
| order, sequence | |
| especially | |
| to excel, be superior | |
| satisfaction | |
| ranking |
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