This phrase let’s us say things like, “Out of all my school subjects, I like history the most”. This piece of grammar or sentence structure is practically guaranteed to come up on the JLPT N5 examination.
【Group】の中では、【A】が一番【Adjective】
But first let’s just look at a few examples of 一番 on its own. It means “number one” but used with an adjective it turns it into a superlative.
| 一番早い。 |
| The fastest/earliest. |
| 一番高い。 |
| The most expensive. |
Using the structure above we can come up with the following sentences.
| 同級生の中では、由美子が一番かしこいです。 |
| Out of my classmates, Yumiko is the cleverest. |
| 私は教科の中では、数学が一番好きです。 |
| Of all my school subjects I like mathematics the best. |
| 記憶の中では、一番寒い冬です。 |
| The coldest winter in memory. |
Note that 中 is a kanji you will see often. It means “middle” and the reading on its own is なか.