A plain-form clause placed directly before a noun describes it: 私が買った本 is “the book I bought”. The noun stands last, and no word for “that” or “which” comes between: これは私が買った本です。
Summary
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A2.
| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern | clause + noun | これは私が買った本です。 | This is the book I bought. | |
| Plain form | The clause ends in the plain form, never in ます. | きのう見たえいがは、おもしろかったです。 | The movie I saw yesterday was interesting. | |
| Subject | Inside the clause the subject takes が (or の), not は. | これは私が買った本です。 | This is the book I bought. | |
| Negative | The clause takes the plain ない form. | 私が食べないものは、さしみです。 | What I don't eat is sashimi. | |
| The noun as doer | The noun can be the one who acts in the clause. | テレビを見ている人は、たなかさんです。 | The person watching TV is Tanaka-san. | |
| The noun as place | The particle the noun would take in the clause drops out. | 先生が住んでいる町は、大きいです。 | The town where the teacher lives is big. | |
| Trap | が, not は, after the clause's subject. | これは私が買った本です。 | This is the book I bought. | |
| Trap | No の between the clause and the noun. | 日本に住んでいるともだちがいます。 | I have a friend who lives in Japan. |
Overview
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A2.
- A clause before a noun describes it; the noun comes last. これは私が買った本です。This is the book I bought.
- Japanese has no word for “that” or “which”: the clause and the noun stand side by side. 日本に住んでいるともだちがいます。I have a friend who lives in Japan.
- The clause ends in the plain form, even when the whole sentence ends in the polite form. See The Plain Form. きのう見たえいがは、おもしろかったです。The movie I saw yesterday was interesting.
- A single adjective before a noun is a smaller case of the same order. See い-Adjectives and な-Adjectives.
Form: the clause before the noun
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A2.
| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 私がよく行くみせは小さいです。 | The shop I often go to is small. | |
| Negative | 私が食べないものは、さしみです。 | What I don't eat is sashimi. | |
| Past | きのう見たえいがは、おもしろかったです。 | The movie I saw yesterday was interesting. | |
| In progress | テレビを見ている人は、たなかさんです。 | The person watching TV is Tanaka-san. |
- The subject of the clause takes が; の stands in its place in writing and careful speech. これは私の買った本です。This is the book I bought.
- The topic particle は does not stand inside the clause. See は and が.
Use: what the noun is in the clause
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A2.
| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| The object of the clause | これは私が買った本です。 | This is the book I bought. | |
| The doer of the clause | 日本に住んでいるともだちがいます。 | I have a friend who lives in Japan. | |
| The place of the clause | 先生が住んでいる町は、大きいです。 | The town where the teacher lives is big. |
- The particle the noun would take in the clause (を, が, に, で) drops out. See Particles を, に, で, へ. テレビを見ている人the person watching TV
Typical errors
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A2.
| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| これは私は買った本です。 | これは私が買った本です。 | inside the clause the subject takes が; は cannot stand there | |
| これは私が買いました本です。 | これは私が買った本です。 | the clause ends in the plain form; the polite ます cannot stand before a noun | |
| 日本に住んでいるのともだちがいます。 | 日本に住んでいるともだちがいます。 | no の joins the clause to the noun; they stand side by side | |
| ともだちがいます。日本に住んでいる。 | 日本に住んでいるともだちがいます。 | the clause comes before the noun, never after it; English “who lives” follows the noun |
Start over
HiraganaThe 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows.Start over
HiraganaThe 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows.Start over
HiraganaThe 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows.