Page 42 - Easy Japanese - Learn to Speak Japanese Quickly! (TUTTLE)

GRAMMAR NOTE Connecting Two Nouns with no
Particle no connects two nouns to make a noun phrase. X no Y is similar to
saying X’s Y, e.g., tomodachi no kaisha, “my friend’s company”. Multiple

nouns can be connected, but the last noun is always the main noun. Consider the
following:

tomodachi no kaisha my friend’s company

kaisha no tomodachi a friend from work
Amerika no tomodachi no my American friend’s company
kaisha

Amerika no kaisha no a friend from an American
tomodachi company

The relationship between the main noun and the modifying noun(s) varies
greatly depending on their meaning. The following are some examples.

Location Nihon no daigaku colleges in Japan
Affiliation Gūguru no Hiru Mr. Hill from Google

Possession watashi no kaisha my company
Time kyō no sukejūru today’s schedule

Subgroup Amerika no Shiatoru Seattle, US,
daigaku no ichi-nen-sei college freshman

Status Ichi-nen-sei no Wan- Ms. Wang, a freshman
san

When the main noun in these phrases is already known from the context, it can
be dropped. For example, if you are asking if this is Ms. Sato’s cellphone or

kētai denwa, you don’t have to say “cellphone”. Just show it to her and say:
Kore, Satō-san no desu ka. Is this yours?
-Hai, watashi no desu. -Yes, it’s mine.

-I’ie, watashi no ja nai desu. -No, it’s not mine.

GRAMMAR NOTE Referring to Things in Japanese

When referring to things in English, a two-way distinction between this (close to
the speaker) and that (away from the speaker) is made. In Japanese, a three-way