Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha nihongo ga itiban suki desu.

は (wa) after 私 marks the topic – what the sentence is about.
- 私は = As for me / Speaking about me…
が (ga) after 日本語 marks the subject of the adjective 好き (to be liked).
- 日本語が好き = Japanese is liked (by me).

So the structure is:

私は (topic: me)
日本語が (subject: Japanese)
一番好きです (is liked the most)

Literally: “As for me, Japanese is liked the most.”

You could drop 私は and just say 日本語が一番好きです。 if it’s clear you’re talking about yourself.

Why is it 日本語が好き and not 日本語を好き if it means “to like Japanese”?

In Japanese, 好き is not a verb; it’s a kind of adjective (a な-adjective) that means “liked” or “fond”.

日本語が好きです。
- Literally: Japanese is liked / Japanese is likable (to me).

Because 好き is describing a state (“is liked”), the thing that is liked becomes the subject, marked with が, not a direct object with を.

So:

❌ 日本語を好きです。 (unnatural / wrong)
✅ 日本語が好きです。 (Japanese is liked.)

So is 好き a verb like “to like” or an adjective?

Grammatically, 好き is a な-adjective (形容動詞), not a verb.

Pattern: Noun + が + 好き（だ／です）
- 日本語が好きです。 – I like Japanese.
- 音楽が好きだ。 – I like music.

But in English we usually translate 好き with the verb “to like” because that feels more natural.

If you look at it literally:

日本語が好きです。 ≈ Japanese is liked / is pleasing (to me).

So you should treat 好き like an adjective that needs が before it.

What does 一番 do here, and why is it before 好き?

一番 (いちばん) means “number one / the most / the best.”

In 日本語が一番好きです。 it modifies 好き, intensifying it:

好きです。 – I like (it).
一番好きです。 – I like it the most / It’s my favorite.

In Japanese, adverbs and intensifiers like 一番 usually come before the word they modify, so:

一番好き = like the most
とても好き = like very much
あまり好きじゃない = don’t like very much

So 日本語が一番好きです。 literally is Japanese is liked the most.

Can I say 一番日本語が好きです。 instead? Is the word order flexible?

You will most commonly hear:

✅ 日本語が一番好きです。

一番日本語が好きです。 is not wrong, but it sounds a bit marked or unusual in isolation and could be interpreted as:

It’s Japanese that I like the most (as opposed to other things).

Native speakers sometimes move 一番 around for emphasis or rhythm, especially in longer sentences, but for a basic learner sentence, 日本語が一番好きです。 is the standard and clearest pattern.

So for now, stick to:

[Thing] が一番好きです。

Can I drop 私 and just say 日本語が一番好きです。?

Yes, and that’s actually more natural in many situations.

Japanese frequently omits pronouns when the subject is clear from context. If you’re talking about your own preferences, people will assume “I” unless there’s a reason to think otherwise.

日本語が一番好きです。
In most contexts: I like Japanese the most.

You might use 私は:

When you want to contrast yourself with someone else:
- 私は日本語が一番好きですが、妹は英語が一番好きです。
  I like Japanese the most, but my younger sister likes English the most.
When you’re introducing yourself and emphasizing “as for me”.

What’s the difference between 日本語が一番好きです。 and 日本語が大好きです。?

Both express strong liking, but the nuance is a bit different:

日本語が一番好きです。
- I like Japanese the most / Japanese is my favorite (among some group, e.g., languages).
- Implies a comparison: Japanese ranks #1 for you.
日本語が大好きです。
- I really love Japanese / I love Japanese a lot.
- Emphasizes strength of feeling, but not necessarily comparison. You could also 大好き several things at once.

If you want to say “Among all languages, Japanese is my favorite,” 一番好き is the clearer choice.

Why is it 好きです and not 好きなです if 好き is a な-adjective?

な-adjectives use な only when they directly modify a noun.

好きな + noun
- 好きな映画 – a movie (that I) like / favorite movie
- 好きな食べ物 – favorite food

But when a な-adjective is used predicatively (to say “X is ~”), you just add だ / です after it, without な:

日本語が好きです。 – I like Japanese.
日本語が好きだ。 – I like Japanese. (plain)

So:

❌ 日本語が好きなです。
✅ 日本語が好きです。

Could I say 日本語は一番好きです。 instead of 日本語が一番好きです。? What’s the difference?

You can say both, but the nuance changes:

日本語が一番好きです。
- Neutral: I like Japanese the most.
- 日本語 is the subject of 好き.
日本語は一番好きです。
- As for Japanese, I like it the most.
- 日本語 is the topic.
- Often sounds like you’re contrasting Japanese with something else already mentioned or understood.

Example:

言語の中で、日本語が一番好きです。
Among languages, I like Japanese the most. (simple statement)
英語も話しますが、日本語は一番好きです。
I also speak English, but Japanese is the one I like the most. (contrastive は)

For a neutral “Japanese is my favorite (language)”, 日本語が一番好きです。 is safest.

Can I say 私は日本語を一番好きです。? It feels more like English “I like Japanese the most.”

No, that’s ungrammatical in standard Japanese.

Because 好き is an adjective meaning “liked / likable”, it takes が, not を, for the thing that is liked.

Correct patterns are:

✅ 私は日本語が一番好きです。
✅ 日本語が一番好きです。 (dropping 私)

Using を directly before 好きです (without turning 好き into a verb phrase like 好きになる, 好きだと思う, etc.) is wrong:

❌ 日本語を一番好きです。

What’s the literal translation of 私は日本語が一番好きです。?

A close, literal breakdown would be:

私 – I / me
は – topic marker (“as for”)
日本語 – Japanese (language)
が – subject marker
一番 – number one / the most
好き – liked / likable
です – polite copula (“is”)

So literally:

“As for me, Japanese is liked the most.”

Natural English: “I like Japanese the most.” / “Japanese is my favorite (language).”

How formal is 好きです? Can I say 好きだ or just 好き?

Formality:

好きです。 – polite, neutral. Good for most situations.
好きだ。 – plain form. Used in casual speech, writing, or among close friends.
好き。 – very casual; dropping だ is common in informal conversation, especially by women, but men do it too in the right context.

So:

Polite: 日本語が一番好きです。
Casual:
- 日本語が一番好きだ。
- 日本語が一番好き。

For talking to teachers, strangers, or in class, use 好きです.

How do you read 一番 and what does the kanji 好き literally mean?

一番 is read いちばん (ichiban).
- Meaning: number one / the best / the most.
好き is read すき (suki).
- 好 as a kanji combines 女 (woman) and 子 (child) and historically suggested “to be fond of, to like.”
- 好き literally means “liked / favored / pleasing”, which is why the thing you like takes が and not を.