Grammar › Particles
の (no) — possession and connection
X's Y, and gluing any two nouns together
の links two nouns, with the first describing the second: わたしの本 (my book), 日本の車 (a Japanese car), 大学の友だち (a friend from university). It's the hardest-working particle in the language — apostrophe-s, “of”, and adjective-maker all in one kana.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Owner + の + thing | 先生の car → 先生の車 — the teacher's car |
| Category + の + thing | 日本語の本 — a Japanese-language book |
| Xの (thing omitted) | これはわたしのです — this is mine |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| これは母の時計です。 | これはははのとけいです。 korehahahanotokeidesu。 | This is my mother's watch. |
| 日本のアニメがすきです。 | にほんのあにめがすきです。 nihonnoanimegasukidesu。 | I like Japanese anime. |
| その傘はわたしのです。 | そのかさはわたしのです。 sonokasahawatashinodesu。 | That umbrella is mine. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
Order is the reverse of English “of”: 東京の地図 is “a map of Tokyo” — the big thing comes first. Chains are fine and common: 友だちのお母さんの車 (my friend's mother's car).