番目(ばんめ)

ばんめ
suffix
-th (ordinal suffix)
1. -th, number ~ (ordinal suffix)
Attaches to a number to create an ordinal: first, second, third, etc. Used with both Sino-Japanese and native numbers.
一(いち)番目(ばんめ)に来(き)た。
I arrived first (was the first to come).
上(うえ)から三(さん)番目(ばんめ)の棚(たな)を見(み)てください。
Please look at the third shelf from the top.
日本(にほん)は世界(せかい)で三(さん)番目(ばんめ)に大(おお)きい経済(けいざい)大国(たいこく)だ。
Japan is the third-largest economy in the world.
〜番目(ばんめ)に + adjective means 'the ~th most [adjective].'

番目(ばんめ) turns a cardinal number into an ordinal number.

PATTERN:

  • 数字(すうじ) + 番目(ばんめ): the ~th one
  • 数字(すうじ) + 番目(ばんめ)に + adjective: the ~th most [adjective]

EXAMPLES:

  • 一(いち)番目(ばんめ): first
  • 二(に)番目(ばんめ): second
  • 三(さん)番目(ばんめ): third
  • 十(じゅう)番目(ばんめ): tenth

CONTRAST WITH 目(め):

  • 番目(ばんめ) is used after a number to indicate rank or order in a sequence
  • 〜目(め) attaches directly to counters: 三人目(さんにんめ) (third person), 二回目(にかいめ) (second time)
general
Added 2026.2.22 15:51
12500/12733_banme