日本語

Lesson 1. 5 Simple Sentences using Japanese Nouns You Must Know!

Japanese Nouns, Nouns in JapaneseJapanese Nouns, Nouns in Japanese
Japanese Nouns

Do you know that nouns in Japanese have neither gender nor singular-plural forms? Let’s learn how to form simple Japanese sentences using nouns today!

 

Japanese Basic Word Order

The basic word order in Japanese is SOV (Subject + Object + Verb) – unlike the English and Chinese that use SVO word order. Compare the structure below:

 

English Word Order
Subject Verb Object
I eat tomatoes.

 

Japanese Word Order
Subject Object Verb
私は トマトを 食べます。
Watashi wa tomato o tabemasu.
I tomatoes eat

 

Note:

In daily conversation, Japanese generally omit the pronouns (私は, I) if the subject of the sentence is clear.

As a particle, は is pronounced as ‘wa’ despite being written as ‘ha’.

 

(wa) – The Topic Marker

Structure: Noun 1 + は + Noun 2 + です

Meaning: Noun 1 is Noun 2

 

The particle は (wa) indicates that Noun 1 is the topic as well as the subject of the sentence.

Subject Particle Object Verb
弁護士 です。
Watashi wa bengoshi desu.
I a lawyer Am
I am a lawyer.

 

Note:

です (desu), which is a polite speech marker, belongs to the verb ‘to be’ group.

 

(mo) – Another Topic Marker

Structure: Noun 1 + も + Noun 2 + です

Meaning: Noun 1 is also Noun 2

 

The particle も (mo) is translated as ‘too/also’. It is used to show that the topic of the sentence is the same with the previous topic. For example, in the previous sentence, we stated that: “I am a lawyer”. Thus, if you want to form a new sentence with the same topic, use も (mo) instead of は (wa).

Subject Particle Object Verb
ミラさん 弁護士 です。
Mira-san mo bengoshi desu.
Ms. Mira also a lawyer is
Ms. Mira is also a lawyer.

 

(ka) – The Question Marker

Structure: Noun 1 + は + Noun 2 + です + か?

Meaning: Is Noun 1 a Noun 2?

 

You can change a sentence into a question by simply add the particle か (ka) at the end of the sentence. Learn more about asking questions in Japanese here.

Subject Particle Object Verb Question Marker
ミラさん 弁護士 です か?
Mira-san wa bengoshi desu ka?
Ms. Mira a lawyer is ?
Is Ms. Mira a lawyer?

 

(no) – The Noun Modifier

The particle の (no) is a noun modifier. It can be used to indicate possessions, just like English [‘s]. On the other hand, の (no) is often translated as ‘of’ as well.

 

Possession

Structure: Noun 1 + の + Noun 2 + は + Noun 3 + です

Meaning: Noun1’s Noun 2 is Noun 3

Subject Object Verb
私の友達は 弁護士 です。
Watashi no tomodachi wa bengoshi desu.
My friend a lawyer is
My friend is a lawyer.

 

‘Of’

Structure: Noun 1 + は + Noun 2 + の + Noun 3 + です

Meaning: Noun 1 is Noun 3 of Noun 2

Subject Object Verb
私は 日本の弁護士 です。
Watashi wa Nihon no bengoshi desu.
I a Japanese lawyer

(a lawyer of Japanese)

am
I am a Japanese lawyer.

 

(to) – The Noun Linker

Structure: Noun 1 + と + Noun 2 + は + です

Meaning: Noun 1 and Noun 2 is Noun 3

 

The particle と (to) is used as the noun linker in Japanese. In other words, と (to) works as the conjunction ‘and’.

Subject Object Verb
私とミラさんは 弁護士 です。
Watashi to Mira-san wa bengoshi desu.
Ms. Mira and I lawyers are
Ms. Mira and I are lawyers.

 

Congratulations! You are one step closer to become fluent in Japanese!

Let’s learn Japanese today! Join us at LingoCards!

Vinvin Zhang

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Vinvin Zhang
Tags: Nouns