How does your Japanese compare? If you want it to stack up, you need to know how to make comparisons and talk about what’s “best” or “most.” Think of the popular saying: “Love is the most important thing of all.” Without being able to make comparisons in English, you couldn’t say this. Once you learn how to say something is “greatest” in Japanese, you’ll use it all the time! This Japanese for beginners article introduces you to superlative sentences that compare quantity or quality. you will also dominate Ichiban (“first, number one”) to talk about what is “the best” or “the most”. As a bonus, learn all kinds of popular vocabulary words and phrases that you can use to ask about people’s physical conditions. This is a Japanese article that you will be glad to read!
Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
byooshitsu – “hospital room”
gooshitsu – “suffix for room numbers”
erebeetaa – “lift”
ni kai – “second floor”
agaru – “go up, go up” (class 1 verb)
ok – “inner part”
tai chu – “physical condition”
o-jii-chan – “grandfather”
booi furendo – “boyfriend”
tsuyoi – “strong, powerful” (final adjective -i)
I’ve got – “to love”
daiji – “important, valuable” (final adjective -na)
kankei – “relationship, connection”
shiawase – “happiness”
Taisetsu – “important, valuable” (final adjective -na)
washi – “I, me” (used by elders)
Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
Vocabulary and useful phrases:
tai chu “physical condition”
In the previous article, we introduced the word similar kibun (“feeling”).
For example:
How you feel?
- formal speech: Taichoo wa doo desu ka. Kibun wa doo desu ka.
- informal speech: Taichoo wa doo? Kibun wa doo?
Please note that both taichoo wa doo desu ka Y kibun wa doo desu ka are questions we use to ask a person who is sick or has been sick about their physical condition.
daiji Taisetsu
Both are -n/a final adjectives meaning “important”. We can use them interchangeably in most cases.
For example:
“Love is the most important”.
- Ai ga ichiban daiji da.
- Ai ga ichiban taisetsu da.
kankei-nai
kankei means “relationship”, so kankei-nai literally means “unrelated” or “not related”. This phrase can be translated as “not having anything to do with something” or “not one’s business.” In a formal situation, we use kankei arimasen ( Prayed kankei nai desu).
today’s goal phrase
(Watashi wa) supootsu no naka de bokushingu ga ichiban suki desu.
“I like boxing more than all sports.”
The focus of this lesson is superlative sentences, which compare the quantity or quality of three or more objects.
Award Structure
[The group] no naka de [A] ga ichiban [adjective] from his.
[A] is the most [adjective] in [the group]. Ichiban literally means “the first” or “number one”, which is equivalent to the English “the most” in superlative sentences.
-
[The group] + no naka de / [A] + ga ichiban / [Adjective] + from his
Ichinen no naka de / hachi gatsu ga ichiban / atsu desu.
supootsu no naka / sunooboodo ga ichiban / suki desu.
San-nin no naka de / Tanaka-san ga ichiban / se ga takai desu.
Konbini to suupaa to depaato no naka de / suupaa ga ichiban / yasui desu.
Basu a kuruma a densha no naka de / densha ga ichiban / benri desu.Abe-san to Fukuda-san to Asoo-san no naka from
/ Abe-san ga ichiban / wakai desu.
More definitions:
- ichi-nen “one year”
- saint nin “three people”
- konbini “convenience store”
- suupaa “Supermarket”
- apartment “Department store”
- yasui cheap
- wakai “young”
Practice 1:
Please create affirmative sentences using the vocabulary provided.
For example:
supootsu tenisu omoshiroi ( omoshiroi means “interesting”)
Supootsu no naka de tenisu ga ichiban omoshiroi desu.
- ichi no gatsusamui ( samui means “cold”)
- supootsu, gorufu, tokui (tokui means “good at”)
- Tokyo to Osaka to Kyoto, Tokyo, ookii
practice 2:
Please answer the following questions
- Supootsu no naka de nani ga ichiban omoshiroi desu ka. _
- Ichi-nen no naka de nan-gatsu ga ichiban suki desu ka. _
- Nihon no tabemono no naka de nani ga ichiban oishii desu ka. _
