一ひと粒つぶ選えり

also: ひとつぶより

ひ

と

つ

ぶ

え

り

Meanings

1

noun

careful selection; picking out the best

Literally 'selecting one grain at a time'; used for meticulous, hand-picked selection of items or people. Often implies choosing only the finest.

この店みせの果物くだものは一ひと粒つぶ選えりで、どれも甘あまく

て

美味おい

しい

。

The fruit at this shop is carefully selected, and every piece is sweet and delicious.

一ひと粒つぶ選えりの選せん手しゅたちが代だい表ひょうチームに選えらばれた。

The hand-picked athletes were chosen for the national team.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
粒grains, drop, counter for tiny particles
選elect, select, choose

Related words

選えりすぐり
選りすぐり also means 'carefully selected' but emphasizes the result of selection, while 一粒選り focuses on the painstaking process of picking one by one.
厳げん選せん
厳選 is a more formal term for 'strict selection', often used in commercial contexts, whereas 一粒選り has a more vivid, traditional feel.

Written forms

一粒選り
- ひとつぶえり
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ひとつぶえり is the most common.
- ひとつぶより
  Alternate reading; less common but still encountered.
ひとつぶより

Etymology

Compound of 一粒 (ひとつぶ, 'one grain') and 選り (えり, the continuative form of 選る 'to select'). The image is of picking out individual grains, hence meticulous selection.