# Nhất: the …est in Vietnamese (A1)

> Put nhất after an adjective to say "the most" or "-est": rẻ nhất (cheapest), đẹp nhất (most beautiful), ngon nhất (tastiest, the best).

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhat-most/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**the …est**

Pattern: `[adjective] + nhất (+ trong + [group]) · [feeling verb] + [object] + nhất · [feeling verb] + nhất là + [object]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: nhat

Variants:

- hơn cả
- hơn hết (formal)

Put *nhất* after an adjective to say "the most" or "-est": *rẻ nhất* (cheapest), *đẹp nhất* (most beautiful), *ngon nhất* (tastiest, the best). There's no word for "the": *Đây là cái rẻ nhất.* This is the cheapest one.

To name the group, add *trong* (in) after *nhất*: *Minh cao nhất trong lớp.* Minh is the tallest in the class.

*Nhất* also follows feeling words such as *thích* (like) and *sợ* (be afraid of), after the thing: *Tôi thích Đà Lạt nhất.* Just as often you'll hear *nhất là* before the thing: *Tôi thích nhất là Đà Lạt.* Both mean I like Đà Lạt the most.

To ask, put *nào* (which) after the noun: *Món nào ngon nhất?* Which dish is the best? It's a useful question in any restaurant.

For "the least", Vietnamese usually takes the opposite word: "the least expensive" is simply *rẻ nhất*, the cheapest. You'll also meet *hơn cả*, "most of all": *Tôi thích Đà Lạt hơn cả.* But *ít nhất* means "at least", not "the least", and *nhất* can also mean "first, number one": *thứ nhất* (first), *giải nhất* (first prize).

## Examples

- Ở đây món nào ngon nhất em? — What's the best dish here? (to a young waiter)
- Tôi thích Đà Lạt nhất. — I like Đà Lạt the most.
- Minh cao nhất trong lớp. — Minh is the tallest in the class.
- Đây là cái rẻ nhất rồi chị. — This is already the cheapest one. (a seller to a customer)

## Words in this pattern

- [nhất](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/nhat-most/#s_nhat_most): most

## Compare

- [More … than: adjective + hơn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hon-more-than/): …er than
- [The most … is X: adjective + nhất + là + noun](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhat-la-superlative-topic/): the …est is …

Previous in How much, and comparing: [So …! and too …: quá after or before](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/qua-so/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [Very (spoken): lắm after the adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-very/)

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