Structure
Noun + の + (previously mentioned noun)
Note: The previously mentioned noun is dropped.
Details
Part of Speech
Particle
Word Type
Case Marking Particle
Register
Standard
品詞
助詞
単語の種類
格助詞
使用域
一般
About の
A common pattern in Japanese is referring back to a noun that has already been mentioned, without actually repeating it. This is achieved through the use of the particle の, in a similar way to its standard possessive use. The noun that would usually follow の is dropped, as it has either been said earlier in the sentence, or is understood clearly from context.
- この本はたけしさんのです。This book is Takeshi-san's (book).
- そのペンは誰の?あなたの?That pen, whose (pen) is it? Is it your (pen)?
In the following sentence, we can see another common use of の that translates similarly to 'one' in English, when referring to non-specific things.
- あの車、あなたが乗っているのですか。That car, was it the car (one) you drove? ('Car' repeated, when の 'the one' should have been used instead)
Examples
その帽子は娘の(帽子)です。
That hat is my daughter's (hat).
あのパソコンは君の(パソコン)でしょう?
That computer is your (computer) right?
木綿のスカーフは私の(スカーフ)です。
The cotton scarf is my (scarf).
「この本は誰の(本)?」
「先週に来たお客さんの(本)。」'Whose book is this (book)?'
'It's the customer's (who came in last week) (book).'この駐車場もあなたの会社の(駐車場)ですか。
This parking lot is also your company's (parking lot)?
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
の: one (indefinite pronoun)
Maggie Sensei
no as a pronoun (Genki I Chapter 10)
St. Olaf College
The 「の」 particle
Tae Kim
Offline
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 233
みんなの日本語 I
Page 21 [CH 2]
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 70
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
の – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (3 in total)
gyroninja
About 2 years ago
To me it seems like the structure given is not used by the example sentences. The example sentences seem to all use a structure of
- Noun 1 ・ Pronoun + のOptional Noun 2
I don’t see any sentences where a pronoun immediately follows a noun.
Kai
About 2 years ago
The・is often used in Japanese to mean “or.”
So, the structure is [Noun 1 -or- Pronoun + のOptional Noun 2]. The・would have to be a + instead to indicate that the noun and pronoun are to be used in sequence together
gyroninja
About 2 years ago
That’s the problem. Bunpro uses a + which is why I am confused.
I am familiar with the convention of ・ meaning or and I even used it when explaining what I was seeing in the example sentences in my previous post.
Got questions about の? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion