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Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 4

わたしの ともだちです This is my friend

Watashi no tomodachi desu

"N no N" links two nouns: possession (watashi no hon = my book) or attribute (nihongo no sensei = Japanese teacher). の chains right-to-left. Learn job words and kare/kanojo (he/she). Kana: 拗音 (small ゃゅょ).

わたしの ともだち — My Friend

  1. Yuki けんさんは わたしの ともだちです。 Ken is my friend.
  2. Mike はじめまして! どうも。 Nice to meet you! Hi.
  3. Ken はじめまして。マイクさんも ゆきさんの ともだちです。 Nice to meet you. Mike is Yuki's friend too.

にほんごの せんせい — The Japanese Teacher

  1. Mike やまもとせんせいは にほんごの せんせいです。 Yamamoto-sensei is a Japanese teacher.
  2. Yuki はい。わたしの せんせいです。 Yes. She is my teacher.
  3. Mike わたしの せんせいも やまもとせんせいです。 My teacher is Yamamoto-sensei too.
汉字PinyinPOSMeaning
no part. (possessive particle)
がくせい gakusei n. student
せんせい sensei n. teacher
かいしゃいん kaishain n. office worker
いしゃ isha n. doctor
かれ kare pron. he
かのじょ kanojo pron. she
くに kuni n. country
にほん nihon n. Japan
-go suf. (language suffix)
ことば kotoba n. word, language

N の N N no N (possessive/linking)

「A の B」は ふたつの めいしを つなぎます。いみは「A の B」: しょゆう(わたしの ほん = my book)か、ぞくせい(にほんごの せんせい = a teacher OF Japanese)。じゅんばんは えいごの はんたい — もちぬしが さきです。の は いくつでも かさねられます: わたしの くにの ことば。

"A no B" links two nouns, meaning "A's B": possession (watashi no hon = my book) or attribute (nihongo no sensei = a teacher OF Japanese). The order is the reverse of English — the owner comes first. の can stack: watashi no kuni no kotoba (my country's language).

  • わたしの ともだちです。 Watashi no tomodachi desu. This is my friend.
  • けんさんの くにです。 Ken-san no kuni desu. It's Ken's country.
  • にほんごの せんせいです。 Nihongo no sensei desu. A Japanese teacher.

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