1.
the only (one of its kind); the sole; the single
An attributive phrase meaning "the only" or "the one and only." Formed from the noun 唯一 ("the only one; uniqueness") plus the attributive particle の. Used to single out one item from a larger set as the unique instance of a quality.
唯一の方法。
The only way.
A fixed attributive phrase built from the noun 唯一 ("the only one; uniqueness") + the attributive particle の. Always precedes a noun.
Core pattern
唯一の + noun = "the only / sole + noun"
Common collocations
- 唯一の方法: the only way
- 唯一の手段: the only means
- 唯一の答え: the only answer
- 唯一の例外: the sole exception
- 唯一の選択肢: the only option
- 唯一の違い: the only difference
- 唯一の希望: the one and only hope
- 唯一無二: one and only; unique (a four-character idiom built on the same root)
Forms
- 唯一: the only one (bare noun; used as a predicate, e.g., X は唯一だ "X is the only one")
- 唯一無二: one and only; peerless; unique — a more emphatic four-character compound.
- 唯一の + noun: the ordinary attributive phrase.
- 唯一と言っていい: practically the only
- X が唯一だ: X is the only one
Similar words
- ただ一つの: the one and only — native-Japanese phrasing, slightly softer than 唯一の.
- ただ一人の: the only person — specifically for people.
- 唯一の vs 一つの: 一つの simply counts "one"; 唯一の asserts uniqueness.
Usage
唯一の is somewhat formal and emphatic. In everyday speech, speakers often soften it with ただ一つの or rephrase the sentence entirely. In writing, however, 唯一の is the standard way to mark a unique instance.
Common patterns
Though 唯一 is historically a noun, the phrase 唯一の is so common that some dictionaries treat it as a bound prenominal modifier. It cannot stand alone — *唯一だけ is unnatural, as the meaning of "only" is already contained in the word.
Related Words
Compare:
たった一人 (only one person)