JLPT N3Spoken and written

が・のの in place of が, before a noun

Inside a description that comes before a noun, が can turn into の: 私わたしの作つくった料りょう理り is 私わたしが作つくった料りょう理り, "the food I made". You will meet it everywhere and never have to use it, because が is always right.

母ははの作つくったケーキをみんなで食たべた。

We all ate the cake my mother made.

庭にわの広ひろい家いえに住すみたい。

I want to live in a house with a big garden.

How to form it

Noun + が／の + verb or adjective + noun

Only inside a description of a noun.

The same meaning

彼かれが撮とった写しゃ真しんが展てん示じされている。

The photographs he took are on display.

What you learned first.

彼かれの撮とった写しゃ真しんが展てん示じされている。

The photographs he took are on display.

The same thing. の marks who took them.

Reading it: が, or plain の?

When の is followed by a verb or an adjective and then a noun, try が in its place. If the sentence still makes sense, this の is が. If it doesn't, it is the ordinary の.

これは姉あねの作つくったかばんです。

This is a bag my older sister made.

姉あねが作つくった, "my sister made it", makes sense. This の is が.

これは姉あねの新あたらしいかばんです。

This is my older sister's new bag.

姉あねが新あたらしい, "my sister is new", doesn't. The bag is new, and の is plain "'s".

Where you'll meet it

Most of all in short descriptions of what someone or something is like, and in phrases people say every day.

あの背せの高たかい人ひとは誰だれですか。

Who is that tall person?

これは私わたしの好すきな歌うたです。

This is a song I like.

雨あめの降ふる日ひは家いえで本ほんを読よむ。

On rainy days, I read books at home.

彼かれの言いうことは正ただしい。

What he says is right.

日本にほん語ごの分わかる人ひとはいますか。

Is there anyone who understands Japanese?

The が that goes with 分わかる, できる and "can" forms changes in the same way.

When it stays が

When an object comes between

の wants its verb or adjective close behind it. With an object in between, の joins onto that noun and reads as "'s" or "of".

父ちちが写しゃ真しんを撮とった場ば所しょは、この公こう園えんです。

This park is where my father took the photo.

My father took it.

父ちちの写しゃ真しんを撮とった場ば所しょは、この公こう園えんです。

This park is where the photo of my father was taken.

父ちちの写しゃ真しん now reads as one thing, a photo of my father. Who took it isn't said.

In the main part of a sentence

Not said: このケーキは母ははの作つくりました。

(My mother made this cake.)

母ははが作つくりました. The switch is only for the inside of a description.

Close neighbours

昨日きのう買かった本ほんN5

How a description goes before a noun in the first place. Inside it, the one who does it takes が, not は.

友ともだちが作つくったケーキを食たべました。

I ate the cake my friend made.

のN5

Ordinary の joins two nouns: whose it is, where it is from, what kind.

これは母ははのケーキです。

This is my mother's cake.

Check yourself

1Which means the same as 友とも達だちの撮とった写しゃ真しん?

Choose an answer to see why.

2Which one is right?

Choose an answer to see why.

3In which sentence can の be read as が?

Choose an answer to see why.

More sentences

私わたしのよく行いく店みせは九く時じまで開あいている。

The shop I often go to is open until nine.

月つきの明あかるい夜よるに散さん歩ぽした。

I took a walk on a moonlit night.

窓まどの大おおきい部屋へやは明あかるい。

A room with large windows is bright.