Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 8: 13/23

第一(だいいち)Start, First (point), Foremost, To begin with

Be careful when combining 第一 with chapter or section numbers (see Structure)

Structure

第一(だいいち)に + Phrase
第一(だいいち) + の + Noun
だいいっ + Noun (Chapter)
Phrase + 第一(だいいち) + だ

Details

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About 第一

第一(だいいち) is an expression in Japanese which may be used either as an adverb, or as a noun. As a noun, it will carry the meaning of 'foremost', or 'most important'. As an adverb, it can mean 'first', or 'above anything'.

To use 第一(だいいち) adverbially, pair it with に. As a noun, it will usually be followed by の (when connecting nouns), or by the auxiliary verb だ, when at the end of a sentence. に will often be ommited when there is no need to put specific emphasis on a time.

Occasionally, まず 'first of all' will be paired with 第一(だいいち). This may seem redundant, but is like saying 'the very first' in English.

Fun Fact

第(だい) is a kanji that is often translated as 'number'. However, the literal meaning is a bit closer to 'position', as it refers to the place that something has within a sequence of numbers. As such, 第一(だいいち) simply means '1st position'.

Examples

--:--

    安全(あんぜん)は第一(だいいち)だ。

    Safety first.

    第一(だいいっ)節(せつ)第一(だいいっ)款(かん)検察官(けんさつかん)の義務(ぎむ)等(など)。

    Section 1, Subsection 1, Duties of public prosecutor, etc. (one・first)

    ハグ・クラブルールの第一(だいいち)、ハグ・クラブのことを明(あ)かすな。

    The first rule of Hug Club is: you do not talk about Hug Club.

    オリンピック選手(せんしゅ)になるには、優(すぐ)れた身体能力(しんたいのうりょく)が第一(だいいち)条件(じょうけん)だ。

    The first condition to become an Olympic athlete is outstanding physical ability.

    第一(だいいっ)章(しょう)：「自動販売機(じどうはんばいき)として生(う)まれ変(か)わった日(ひ)。」

    Chapter 1: 'The day I got reincarnated as a vending machine.'

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      第一 – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

      • MaximizedNOVA

        MaximizedNOVA

        Sorry for necro’ing an old thread. But this grammar has been coming up in my reviews with the special rule:

      • EdBunpro

        EdBunpro

        Good question tbh. I think a common way would be l+tu for an isolated っ, but whether or not that’s faster than typing t+tu then hitting the backspace is probably personal preference. I think Japanese keyboards have a dedicated hotkey for it? Never used one so just speculating, I’d be curious to hear from others as well.

      • MaximizedNOVA

        MaximizedNOVA

        I didn’t realize we were able to do this on romaji input even when utilizing Windows IME! I’d probably input much faster utilizing the latter approach, but it’s really good to know there’s a way to access all of the small characters on IME as well

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