の's; of; the … one
の joins two nouns: the first says whose, where from or what kind, and the second is the thing itself. When that second noun is obvious it drops, and の stands in for it: "mine", "the red one".
Joining two nouns
Noun + の + noun
The main noun comes last. English "of" turns the order around: 日本の地図, a map of Japan.
Leaving the noun out
Noun + の ／ adjective or plain verb + の
私の (mine), 赤いの (the red one), 丈夫なの (a sturdy one), 昨日買ったの (the one I bought yesterday).
Which の is it?
What stands before it, and whether a noun follows, tells you.
| What you see | の means | Like this |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + の + noun | 's, of: whose, where from, what kind | 兄の |
| Noun + の, and no noun after it | 's: the second noun is left unsaid | 姉のです it is my sister's |
| Adjective or verb + の, for a thing you both know | one: の stands in for the thing | 大きいの the big one |
| Verb + の, with no thing left out | doing it: the action itself, as a noun | 撮るのが |
| Sentence + の？ or んです | an explanation, asked for or given | どこに |
Joining two nouns
English picks a different word for each kind of link: "'s", "of", "from", "about", "at", or no word at all. Japanese uses の for every one.
where they belong
Mr. Tanaka is a student at the University of Tokyo.
私の is "my" and だれの is "whose". "Your" is usually the person's name: 田中さんの.
The main noun comes last
My friend Tanaka came.
Tanaka came. 友だちの says who he is.
Tanaka's friend came.
A friend came. 田中さんの says whose.
The last noun is the one that came. What is in front of の only describes it.
They chain, each one narrowing the next: 私の友だちの車, my friend's car.
Two nouns need it. An adjective doesn't
English says "Japanese teacher" and "winter coat" with nothing in between, so の is easy to forget: 日本語の先生. Ready-made words such as 東京駅 and 電話番号 do without it.
An adjective or a verb needs no の. It goes straight in front of the noun, and a な-adjective takes な: きれいな花.
Not said: 新しいの
(I bought a new car.)
新しい車.
Not said: これは
(This is the book I bought yesterday.)
昨日買った本.
Leaving the noun out
After a noun, you just stop at の.
Whose umbrella is this?
It is Tanaka's.
私の傘 shortens to 私の, never 私のの.
After an adjective or a verb, の goes where the noun was. English says "one".
There are red shirts and blue shirts. I will buy a blue one.
This store has various bags. I chose a sturdy one.
A な-adjective keeps its な.
There are two books on the desk. Please bring the one bought yesterday.
Do you have a cheaper one?
What you ask in a shop.
Other jobs の does
After a verb, when no thing has been left out, の turns the action itself into a noun: "my friend coming".
I'm waiting for my friend to come.
The verb + の you will use first: liking doing something, or being good or bad at it.
I like taking photos.
の？・んですN5
At the end of a casual question, の asks what is going on. Before です it is usually said ん, and explains: 試験があるんです, "I have a test, you see".
Where are you going?
Close neighbours
昨日買った本N5
A verb, with everything that belongs to it, describes a noun. No の comes between them.
I'm reading the book I bought yesterday.
の上・の前・の中N5
上, 前 and 中 are nouns, so "on the desk" is "the desk's top".
There is a dictionary on the desk.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
妹の
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one is right?
Choose an answer to see why.
3"The white one, please."
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
Some words that are adjectives in English are nouns in Japanese, so they take の: 病気の人 (a sick person), 本当の話 (a true story), 緑のかばん (a green bag).
の doesn't say what the link is. 田中さんの写真 can be a photo Tanaka owns, one he took, or one he is in. The situation settles it.
More sentences
My older sister works for a travel company.
I read a science book at the library.
Our guide, Ms. Yamada, is waiting in the lobby.
One person, named twice: by her job, then by her name.
Which umbrella will you use? I will use Tanaka's.
This year's calendar is here. Last year's is in the box.
There are three cakes. I ordered the thousand-yen one.
There are new photos and old photos. Please show me the old ones.
There are two keys. The large one is the front-door key.
There are several plates on the shelf. Please take the white, round one.