一番・いちばん

Adverb (Basic ㊦ 148)

A superlative marker.

Equivalent: Most

クラス(の中)で大川さんが一番頭がいい。: Mr. Okawa is the brightest in the class.
A:この中でどの映画が一番面白いですか。 B:この日本の映画でしょう。: A: Among these, which movie is the most interesting? B: This Japanese movie, I guess.
A:松本さんと池田さんと清水さんの中で、誰が一番（よく）出来ますか。 B:池田さんです。: A: Among Mr. Matsumoto, Mr. Ikeda and Mr. Shimizu, who is the best student. B: Mr. Ikeda is.
日本で一番奇麗な所はどこですか。: Where is the most scenic place in Japan?

Formation

(i) 一番	Adjective い/な
	一番 {高い/高かった}	Something is/was the highest
	一番 {静かだ/静かだった}	Something is/was the most quiet
(ii) 一番	{Adjective い stem く/Adjective な stem に}
	一番高く	Most highly
	一番静かに	Most quietly

Notes

一番 cannot be affixed directly to a noun as in *一番先生, meaning 'the best teacher'. It should precede an adjective, as in 一番いい先生. If the meaning is predictable, however, the adverbial form of adjectives, especially よく 'well, frequently', may be omitted, as in Example (b).