一流

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 一流, read いちりゅう, describes a very high level of skill or quality.
• Basic usage: It can evaluate people's abilities as well as services and facilities.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Before a noun
  • Link it to a noun with の, as in the example 一流の料理人.
• Quality and rank
  • 一流 evaluates something as top-class, while 一位 is first place in a ranking. More than one person can be first-rate.