Japanese grammar · Elementary (A2)
Relative clauses
Describing a noun with a whole clause in front of it (赤いコートを着ている人), plain forms inside, が → の, and long modifiers.
The description comes first
In English, a relative clause follows the noun: “the person who is wearing a red coat”. In Japanese, the whole description goes in front of the noun, just like an adjective, and there is no word for “who”, “which” or “that”: (akai kōto o kite iru hito).
The verb at the end of the clause is in the plain form, and it sits directly before the noun. The clause can describe the subject (the person who …), the object (the cake that I made) or a place or time (the shop where …, the day when …).
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| (watashi ga tsukutta kēki) | the cake (that) I made |
| (eki no mae ni aru mise) | the shop (that is) in front of the station |
| (megane o kakete iru hito) | the person wearing glasses |
| (kinō mita eiga) | the film I saw yesterday |
| (Nihongo ga hanaseru hito) | people who can speak Japanese |
| (niku o tabenai hito) | people who don't eat meat |
| (watashi ga sunde iru machi) | the town where I live |
Plain forms, even in polite speech
Inside the clause, verbs are always plain, even when the whole sentence is polite: (kore wa watashi ga tsukutta kēki desu), not 作りましたケーキ. The politeness is shown only by (desu) or (masu) at the very end.
The tense of the clause is its own: (ashita au hito) is the person I'll meet tomorrow; (kinō atta hito) is the person I met yesterday.
- 赤いコートを着ている人が私のおばです。Akai kōto o kite iru hito ga watashi no oba desu.The woman wearing the red coat is my aunt.
- 先週買った本はもう読みました。Senshū katta hon wa mō yomimashita.I've already read the book I bought last week.
- これは京都で撮った写真です。Kore wa Kyōto de totta shashin desu.This is a photo I took in Kyoto.
Adjectives and nouns inside the clause
A clause can also end in an adjective or a noun. い-adjectives stay as they are: (kami ga nagai hito), a person with long hair. な-adjectives take (na): (ryōri ga jōzu na hito), someone who is good at cooking. A noun takes (no): (chichi ga isha no tomodachi), a friend whose father is a doctor.
In the past, all of them use the plain past: (shizuka datta machi), a town that used to be quiet; (kodomo no koro suki datta uta), a song I liked as a child.
- 背が高くて、髪が短い人です。Se ga takakute, kami ga mijikai hito desu.She's tall and has short hair.
- 駅から近くて便利な部屋を探しています。Eki kara chikakute benri na heya o sagashite imasu.I'm looking for a convenient room close to the station.
が becomes の (B1)
Inside a relative clause, the subject marker (ga) can be replaced by (no): (watashi no umareta machi) means the same as (watashi ga umareta machi), the town where I was born. The version sounds a little softer and more literary, and is common in short clauses.
Only the subject of the clause can change like this, and not (wa): a relative clause never contains the topic particle .
- 母の作る料理が一番好きです。Haha no tsukuru ryōri ga ichiban suki desu.I like the food my mother makes best.
- これは祖父の建てた家です。Kore wa sofu no tateta ie desu.This is the house my grandfather built.
Long modifiers and という (B1)
Japanese can put a very long description in front of a noun, which English would split up. Read to the end to find the noun, then go back: (kyonen no natsu ni kazoku to tomatta Kyōto no furui ryokan), the old inn in Kyoto where I stayed with my family last summer.
(to iu), literally “called”, links a name or a content to a noun: (Sakura to iu mise), a shop called Sakura; (matsuri ga chūshi ni naru to iu nyūsu), the news that the festival will be cancelled.
- 七夕は、昔中国から伝わった行事です。Tanabata wa, mukashi Chūgoku kara tsutawatta gyōji desu.Tanabata is a festival that came from China long ago.
- 短冊に願い事を書いて飾るという習慣があります。Tanzaku ni negaigoto o kaite kazaru to iu shūkan ga arimasu.There is a custom of writing wishes on strips of paper and hanging them up.