Japanese Lesson 6: Possession - Subject は Noun1 の Noun2 です

Japanese Lessons

Possession - Subject は Noun1 の Noun2 です

Expressing possession or the relationship between two nouns is a common and essential skill in Japanese. The Japanese sentence structure "Subjek wa Noun1 no Noun2 desu" is a simple yet effective way to achieve this.

Part 1: Vocabulary List

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	Meaning
社員	しゃいん	shain	Employee
研究者	けんきゅうしゃ	kenkyuusha	Researcher
本	ほん	hon	Book
雑誌	ざっし	zasshi	Magazine
机	つくえ	tsukue	Desk
英語	えいご	eigo	English language

Part 2: Explanation of the Sentence Pattern

Pattern Structure:

$S$ $u$ $b$ $j$ $e$ $c$ $t$ は N $o$ $u$ $n$ $1$ の N $o$ $u$ $n$ $2$ です

No (の): A particle used to indicate possession or relationship.
It explains who owns or is associated with an object.

Additional Notes:

This pattern can also describe origin or category, such as stating where something belongs or identifying a specific type.

Example Usage:

Kore wa watashi no hon desu.
(This is my book.)
Sono isu wa daigaku no mono desu.
(That chair belongs to the university.)

Part 3: Example Sentences

これは私の本です。
Kore wa watashi no hon desu.
This is my book.
それは田中さんの机です。
Sore wa Tanaka-san no tsukue desu.
That is Tanaka-san’s desk.
あの雑誌は先生のです。
Ano zasshi wa sensei no desu.
That magazine belongs to the teacher.
この時計は彼のです。
Kono tokei wa kare no desu.
This watch is his.
その椅子は大学のものです。
Sono isu wa daigaku no mono desu.
That chair belongs to the university.

Part 4: Practice Exercises

Write a sentence in Japanese meaning, “This is my desk.”
Construct a sentence saying, “That is the Japanese book belonging to the teacher.”

Conclusion

The "Subject wa Noun1 no Noun2 desu" pattern is an essential structure for explaining possession or relationships in Japanese. By mastering this, you can confidently talk about what belongs to you or others, or describe relationships between objects and people. Keep practicing to make this pattern a natural part of your conversations. Happy learning!