「の」(1) Being possessive
「の」(1) Being possessive
's, of, in, for, by, from
の is a versatile particle in Japanese with many different functions and its primary function is to link nouns together or indicate possession. Depending on the context, it can be translated into English as 's, of, or from.
1
The most basic linking function of の demonstrates a relationship between two nouns as in AのB, with B being related to A in some way. As mentioned, this depends on the exact words being used.
Combination | Example |
|---|---|
[A possesses B] | 私の車だ。 Car of mine/my car |
Although my car is a more natural translation, keeping of in mind is a bit more useful in the beginning, as の has many more uses than just showing possession. Furthermore, when the object is clear from context, B can be omitted.
先生の戦車じゃない。高村さんの戦車だ！
It's not the teacher's tank. It's Takamura-san's tank!
先生の戦車じゃない。高村さんのだ！
It's not the teacher's tank. It's Takamura-san's!
Here are more uses of the AのB structure.
Combination | Example |
|---|---|
[B exists at the location of A] | ドイツの教会。 A church in Germany |
[A is about B] | 歴史の本。 A book on history |
[A is a specific B] | 冬の花。 A winter flower |
[A as the object and B as the subject] | ドイツ語の先生。 A teacher of German |
[A created B] | アーティストの絵。 A picture by an artist |
[A is an attribute of B] | 先生の武田さん。 A teacher, Takeda-san |
[B is made from A] | 木の家。 A house made of wood |
You don’t have to worry about memorizing every single one of them right now. For most of them, if you keep the translation of in mind, you should be fine.
Special Note
の is not limited to linking just two nouns. You can chain many together.
スペイン語の先生の船。
The ship of a teacher of Spanish.
Formation
私の本
日本での仕事