The Particle の

What You Will Learn in This Unit

In this unit you learn how to connect two nouns with the particle の. の can express ownership, affiliation, type, and location. You also learn the use that omits the following noun and leaves only の to refer to 'the one belonging to ~', and the use of linking の several times to form a long noun phrase.

の Connecting Nouns

の is a particle that connects two nouns when a noun comes before it and a noun comes after it. The preceding noun modifies the following noun, and the relationship shows whose it is, what it belongs to, what kind it is, or where it is. Since the basic pattern places の between two nouns, without の the two nouns would sit side by side and would not form a valid Japanese sentence.

の is not used only for possession. In Japanese, の is used much more often than the Korean particle 의, and the same particle is also used to show affiliation, type, and location. All four uses share the same structure, 'noun + の + noun,' and only the relationship between the two nouns differs.

As the table shows, when rendering の into Korean, do not always use the particle 의. Choose natural Korean phrasing instead. For instance, 책상 위 (on the desk) is more natural than 책상의 위.

の Standing in for a Noun

When the following noun is clear from the preceding sentence or the situation, the noun is not repeated and only の is kept. The form is 'noun + の + です.' For example, if the second 本 is removed from 「その 本は わたしの 本です。」, the sentence becomes 「その 本は わたしのです。」 Here の stands in for the omitted noun, so it must not be dropped. わたしです means 'It is me,' so to express possession you must write わたしのです.