How to Say ‘Nearest’ in Japanese
いちばん近い
ichiban chikai
[ee-chee-bahn chee-kai]
💬 Usage Tip: [いちばん] goes before an adjective to mean "the most," so [近い] becomes [いちばん近い] = "the closest." You can reuse the pattern with other adjectives, like [いちばん安い] for "the cheapest."
Phrase Breakdown
いちばん
ichiban
[ee-chee-bahn]
the most; the nearest
In this phrase, it emphasizes that something is the nearest among options.
いちばん近い店は駅の前です。
The nearest shop is in front of the station.
近い
chikai
[chee-kai]
near; close
An i-adjective meaning physically near or close.
学校は家に近いです。
The school is near my house.
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