Describing nouns with clauses
The book I bought, the town where I live.
In English, a clause that describes a noun comes after it: "the book that I bought". In Japanese the whole clause comes before the noun, with no word for "that", "which" or "who": 私が買った本.
Plain form + noun
The clause ends in a plain form: the dictionary form, ない, た or ている, not ます.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 昨日買った本 kinō katta hon | the book I bought yesterday |
| 毎朝飲むコーヒー maiasa nomu kōhī | the coffee I drink every morning |
| 私が住んでいる町 watashi ga sunde iru machi | the town where I live |
| 日本語を話せる人 nihongo o hanaseru hito | a person who can speak Japanese |
| 肉を食べない人 niku o tabenai hito | people who don't eat meat |
- Kore wa kinō katta hon desu.This is the book I bought yesterday.
- Watashi ga sunde iru machi wa totemo shizuka desu.The town where I live is very quiet.
- Megane o kakete iru hito ga Tanaka-san desu.The person wearing glasses is Mr. Tanaka.
The polite ending goes only at the end of the whole sentence (see Plain and polite speech).
が, not は, and often の
The subject inside the clause takes が, never は, since は belongs to the whole sentence. Inside these clauses, が can also become の: 母が作ったケーキ or 母の作ったケーキ.
- Haha no tsukutta kēki wa oishii.The cake my mother made is delicious.
Adjectives and nouns
Adjectives already work this way. Before a noun, な-adjectives take な and nouns take の in the present; in other forms they use the plain form.
| Kind | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | 若い人 a young person | 若かった頃 when I was young |
| な-adjective | 有名な店 a famous shop | 有名だった店 a shop that used to be famous |
| Noun | 雨の日 a rainy day | 子供だった頃 when I was a child |
Time words
Words such as 時 toki "when", 前 mae "before" and 後 ato "after" are nouns too, so they take a clause in the same way: 寝る前に "before going to bed", 食べた後で "after eating", 日本に行った時 "when I went to Japan".
- Neru mae ni ha o migakimasu.I brush my teeth before I go to bed.
Verbs as nouns: こと and の
The dictionary form + こと or の turns a verb into a noun, "doing": 泳ぐのが好き "I like swimming". Before です, only こと works: 趣味は…ことです.
- Shumi wa shashin o toru koto desu.My hobby is taking photos.
- Utau no ga suki desu.I like singing.
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Longer sentences cards.
Where does a clause describing a noun go in Japanese, as in 'the book I bought'?
Before the noun: 私が買った本.
Plain form or ます form: which ends a clause that describes a noun?
The plain form: dictionary, ない, た or ている.
は or が: which marks the subject inside a clause describing a noun?
が
Which particle can replace が inside a clause describing a noun, as in 'the cake my mother made'?
の: 母の作ったケーキ.
How does a な-adjective like 有名 (famous) join a noun in the present?
With な: 有名な店.
What's the past form of 若い (young) before 頃 (time, days), as in 'when I was young'?
若かった頃
Which verb form goes before 前に (before), as in 'before going to bed'?
The dictionary form: 寝る前に.
Which verb form goes before 後で (after), as in 'after eating'?
The た form: 食べた後で.
How do you turn a verb into a noun meaning 'doing', as in 'I like singing'?
Dictionary form + の or こと: 歌うのが好き.
こと or の: which turns a verb into a noun before です, as in 'my hobby is taking photos'?
こと