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Grammar Book

GrammarBook N5: Noun Modifiers in Japanese (Relative Clauses)

  • 06 Feb, 2026
  • Com 0

N5-G-072

Noun Modifiers (Relative Clauses)

Supporting / Description

👀 Layer A: Visual Guide (直感理解)

📝 Quick Summary (まとめ)

「昨日食べたケーキ」のように、名詞(ケーキ)を詳しく説明する文法です。日本語では、説明する言葉(動詞の普通形)を名詞の **前** に置きます。
In Japanese, you modify a noun by placing a verb (in Plain Form) or a sentence BEFORE the noun. This acts like a long adjective. Example: “The book I bought” -> “I bought book”.

Structure: [Plain Form Verb] + Noun.
Example: [行く] 人 (The person who goes). / [食べた] 人 (The person who ate).

🔗 Connected Grammar (関連文法):

  • N5-G-049: Plain Present Form (Essential for this!)
  • N5-G-050: Plain Past Form (Essential for this!)
  • N5-G-006: が Particle (Subject marker inside clause)

🔍 Layer B: Deepening (深掘り)

💡 Raya’s Hack (攻略法)

箱の中は「が (GA)」!
名詞を説明する短い文(箱)の中では、主語に「は (WA)」を使いません。「が (GA)」を使います。
* メインの文: 私は ケーキを 食べました。
* 説明の文: [私 **が** 食べた] ケーキ
「これは [私が食べた] ケーキです。」
箱の外は「は」、箱の中は「が」。これを徹底しましょう!

Inside the modifying clause (the “box” describing the noun), the subject is marked with “GA”, never “WA”. “Watashi GA tsukutta cake” (The cake I made).

🚧 Joy’s Mistake (よくある間違い)

Scene: Joy points to a picture he took.

Joy: 「これは 撮りました 写真 です。」
(Kore wa torimashita shashin desu.)

❌ Masu-form Alert!

Why?

名詞の前に「ます形」を置いてはいけません。必ず「普通形(辞書形・タ形・ナイ形)」にします。
撮りました → **撮った** (Totta)
正解は「これは **撮った** 写真 です」です。

Never put “Masu-form” before a noun. Use “Plain form”. Torimashita -> Totta. Correct: “Totta shashin”.

🔥 Layer C: Practice Loop

Now it’s time to test your learning through the next 10 practice drills!

Level 1: Build the Phrase

Q1. Person who goes (Iku / Hito)

答え: 行く 人 (Iku hito)

(Verb Dictionary + Noun)

Q2. Person who is eating (Tabete iru / Hito)

答え: 食べている 人 (Tabete iru hito)

(Progressive Plain + Noun)

Q3. Cake I made (Watashi / Tsukutta / Cake)

答え: 私が 作った ケーキ (Watashi ga tsukutta keeki)

(Subject uses GA)

Q4. Book I bought yesterday (Kinou / Katta / Hon)

答え: 昨日 買った 本 (Kinou katta hon)

(Past Plain + Noun)

Q5. Person who doesn’t come (Konai / Hito)

答え: 来ない 人 (Konai hito)

(Negative Plain + Noun)

Level 2: Full Sentences

Q6. This is the photo I took.

答え: これは (私が)撮った 写真 です。

(Kore wa [totta shashin] desu.)

Q7. I forgot the book I bought.

答え: 買った 本を 忘れました。

([Katta hon] o wasuremashita.)

Q8. The person wearing glasses is Mr. Tanaka.

答え: 眼鏡(めがね)を かけている 人は 田中さんです。

([Megane o kakete iru hito] wa Tanaka-san desu.)

Q9. Do you know the person who made this?

答え: これを 作った 人を 知っていますか?

([Kore o tsukutta hito] o shitte imasu ka?)

Q10. Translate: “I don’t have time to eat.” (Taberu jikan)

答え: 食べる 時間が ありません。

([Taberu jikan] ga arimasen.)


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Related posts:

GrammarBook N5 : AはBです (A is B) GrammarBook N5: The Particle も (also) GrammarBook N5: い-adjectives GrammarBook N5: ~たいです
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