What does “ichiban” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “ichiban” normally to mean ‘number one’ or ‘first’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese shops, movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “ichiban” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definitions and meanings of “ichiban”
Let me start with the definitions and meanings of “ichiban”.
- ichiban – 一番 (いちばん) : a noun meaning ‘number one’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to mean ‘first’, ‘best’, or such in Japanese.
Native speakers use this as a noun to refer to the first one or best one in a particular group. In addition, they also use it as an adverb to add the meaning of ‘first’, ‘best’, or ‘most’ to the words used together.
The definitions and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Ichiban in kanji
The kanji expression of “ichiban” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 一 : a kanji character widely used as a numeral to mean ‘one’.
- 番 : a kanji character used to mean ‘number’, ‘order’, ‘rank’, or such.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “ichiban” literally means ‘one number’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but this kanji concept is very close to the actual meanings, I think.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ichiban” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “ichiban” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “number one” in Japanese
boku ga sekai de ichiban desu – 僕が世界で一番です (ぼくがせかいでいちばんです)
I am number one in the world.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “sekai” to say where “boku” is (or has become) number one.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “ichiban” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “ichiban”. In the Japanese sentence, it works as a noun to mean ‘number one’ in Japanese. When we want to say “number one” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “ichiban”
kare wa ichiban utsukushii hito desu – 彼は一番美しい人です (かれはいちばんうつくしいひとです)
He is the most beautiful man.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.
- utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.
- hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’, ‘man’, or such in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “ichiban”. In this example, it works as an adverb to add the meaning of ‘the most’ to the following i-adjective, “utsukushii”. This type of “ichiban” normally works before a word to add the meaning of ‘first’, ‘best’, or ‘most’ to it.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “ichiban” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ichiban – 一番 (いちばん) : a noun meaning ‘number one’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to mean ‘first’, ‘best’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this as a noun to refer to the first one or best one in a particular group. As an adverb, this normally works before a word to add the meaning of ‘first’, ‘best’, or ‘most’ to it.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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