Structure
(Set of Elements) + の中で一番
その(1) + 中で一番
(1) この
Details
Part of Speech
Expression
Word Type
Adjective / Adjectival Noun
Register
Standard
About のなかで~がいちばん~
In Japanese '(A) の中で (B) が一番 (C)', is a regular expression that is used for showing that something is 'the most (C)', usually an adjective. This structure can be used with almost any adjective, whether it is positive or negative. Each part of this grammar point represents the following:
(A) - A group.
(B) - A single thing/person within that group.
(C) - An adjective, or general description of that thing/person.
This expression is also frequently used with demonstratives such as この and その.
The construction '(A) の中で' is regularly translated by itself as 'among (A)', and may be used in many different expressions. This will be covered in a separate grammar point.
Related
Examples
--:--
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
この中で一番好きな 食べ物は何?
Among these, what is your number one favorite food?
中華料理の中で何が一番好きですか。
Out of all Chinese dishes, what is your number one favorite dish?
飲み物の中で一番好きなのは何ですか。
Out of all drinks, what is your number one favorite drink?
お茶の中で一番美味しいのは何ですか。
Out of all teas, what is the number one most delicious tea?
国の中で一番人口が多いのはどれですか。
Out of all countries, which country has the number one largest population?
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
~いちばん~
JapaneseTest4You
~のなかでAがいちばん~
E-Japanese
Offline
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 148
Genki I
Page 194
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 232
みんなの日本語 I
Page 80 [CH 12]
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
のなかで~がいちばん~ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (14 in total)
Jake
Out of all ~, ~ is the best/most ~.
Structure
- Category + の・中・で + qualifier + が・いちばん
- Category + の・中・で・いちばん
[out of some category, something is the most ~]
View on Bunpro
Isurandil492
Why is 中 left as a kanji while 一番 is converted to hiragana in the structure section? Just curious
mrnoone
No real reason
I have changed it to kanji
Sorry for (extremely) slow answer
mrnoone
julian_s
Hello, in this example sentence, BunPro gives 今いままでの変顔へんがお写真しゃしん の中なかで 、どれが好すき?
But in the review question, it says the correct answer is の中に. Which is correct?
Pushindawood
@julian_s Sorry about that! I have updated the review question to accept the correct answer (の中で). Cheers!
Invertex
この中でいちばん 好きな食べ物は何?
I’m not sure where the こ at the start comes from, as the grammar explanation doesn’t imply when this would happen. Is the example implying この is being used to refer to the subject (foods) being near us and thus the の from の中で is dropped/merged to avoid a double の?
Or I guess maybe in a sense it just becomes another variation of これ, この, ここ, etc…?
mrnoone
@Invertex
Hey and long time no see!Very good question!
This is simply この.
Basically, we have a noun 間, with particle で (間で), that has to be modified (qualified, described).When we modify (qualify, describe) noun with another noun we use particle の. (We look at の from a wider perspective now, not just indicating possession)
So, 私の犬 means “my dog”. 私 modifies (qualifies, describes) 犬.
[鶏のスープ means “chicken soup” (actually, チキンスープ is more common, just giving an example of modification)Notice that chicken in chicken soup works similar to adjective, it describes soup. We...
moggyishere
I’m confused as to why で is present in this grammar point. I don’t think I’ve seen it being used like this before? I can’t get my head around it.
mathijsdm
I believe (but I’m no grammar guru myself, so take it with a grain of salt) that it is the で for Components. So の中で is <possessive> + 中 (among / within) + で (for components as it is among all the components, the best one).
Very badly explained, but this was my interpretation. Hopefully someone else will still come along to give you a clearer answer or tell you if my interpretation was wrong!
FredKore
On that same page, the next section で for Categories actually calls out this grammar point.
mathijsdm
Haha, damn should have re-read the article instead of just linking it because I knew it existed Thanks for the correction, much appreciated!
doublesbrian
I just got to this grammar point. In the information it says
In Japanese ‘(A) の中で (B) が一番 (C)’, is a regular expression that is used for showing that something is ‘the most (C)’, usually an adjective.
And that’s the layout I’ve been seeing, but the first sentence I got in the quiz is a bit different.
動物の中で一番好きな動物は何ですか。
Out of all animals, what is your number one favorite animal?It threw me for a loop because it doesn’t have the (B) が portion of the structure I’m used to and I didn’t realize you can put のなかで and いちばん together like that.
In my mind the sentence would be closer to 動物の中で何が一番好きですか
Can someone explain the nuances of the sentence structure Bunpro used? Because I don’t really understand it.
Thanks!
Daru
Hey @doublesbrian!
It’s basically because 一番 is working as an adverb that modifies the following adjective here.
高い Expensive → 一番高い The most expensive
大きい Big → 一番大きい The biggest
好き Likeable → 一番好き The most likeable (or, your favorite!)[動物の中で] Out of all the animals
[一番好きな動物] The most likeable animal
[は] Speaking of this (the most likeable animal out of all the animals)
[何ですか?] Which one is it?doublesbrian
Thanks for the reply! I knew the way the site was using it was probably more natural but didn’t understand it until you broke it down for me! I appreciate it!
Got questions about のなかで~がいちばん~? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion