一番
Meanings
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
number one; first; first place
Literal rank, order, or position: No. 1, first in a sequence, or first place in a competition. As 一番の, it can modify another noun.
She came in first in the tournament.
Please enter starting with the person holding the number-one ticket.
Adverbial superlative meaning 'the most' or 'the best' among a set; very common before adjectives, adjectival nouns, and verbs of liking or preference.
I like this shop's ramen the best.
It is coolest in the morning.
A noun for a single match, round, or bout, often in set collocations such as 相撲を一番取る or 勝負を一番する. More limited than the everyday rank/superlative senses.
I had one sumo bout with a senior during practice.
as a test; by way of trial; tentatively
Idiomatic adverbial use meaning 'just to try it' or 'as an experiment,' often in phrases like 一番やってみる. Modern Japanese more often uses 試しに or ひとつ for this idea.
See also: 試しに
I don't know whether it will work, but let's give it a try.
Specialized use for a song or piece, especially in contexts such as noh chanting. It is not the ordinary everyday word for a song.
At the noh performance gathering, I sang one chant piece.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉が一番になるto become number one; to take first place
He came in first place in the marathon.
- 一番〈形容詞〉the most ~; ~est
He is the tallest.
- 相撲を一番取るto have one sumo bout
The two had one sumo bout.
- 一番〈動詞〉てみるto just try doing ~
Let's just give it a try.
Expressions
- いの一番first of all; first thing
- ここ一番the crucial moment; the moment of truth; do-or-die situation
- 一番多いmost numerous; the most (in number)
- 一丁目一番地first and foremost; top priority
- 夜明け前が一番暗いit's always darkest before the dawn; the darkest hour is just before the dawn
- 千番に一番の兼ね合いextremely difficult; a one-in-a-thousand chance