Superlatives: いちばん

Use いちばん to say that something is the most, best liked, or highest within a group.

Use いちばん to show the strongest item inside a group.Mark the group naturally with で in simple superlative sentences.Ask and answer basic “which is the most?” questions.

Guided study

The core superlative pattern

いちばん means “the most” or “the best” inside a group. First notice the group, then find the thing that stands out most strongly inside it.

この店でこのケーキがいちばん人気です。

This cake is the most popular in this shop.

This sentence shows the most popular item in a shop.

クラスで田中さんがいちばん元気です。

Tanaka is the most energetic in the class.

The group is クラス and the highlighted person is 田中さん.

この中でこれがいちばん安いです。

This is the cheapest among these.

The group can be a visible set of items too.

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