Introduction
In this blog post, we will learn how to use verbs and adjectives to qualify nouns in Japanese. This structure allows you to describe people or objects with more detail. Understanding this grammar point will help you form more complex and detailed sentences.
What It Means
Qualifying nouns with verbs and adjectives involves placing simple descriptions before the noun they modify. This can include simple adjectives, phrases describing characteristics, or verbs in the short form.
Examples
Here are some examples of noun modification:
- おもしろい人 (omoshiroi hito) – a person who is interesting
- 髪が長い人 (kami ga nagai hito) – a person who has long hair
- 猫が好きな人 (neko ga suki na hito) – a person who likes cats
- めがねをかけている人 (megane o kakete iru hito) – a person who wears glasses
Example Sentences
Here we focus on a verb + ている (te iru), which is frequently used as a noun modifier to describe people based on their current actions and states.
Conversation:
山田さんはどの人ですか。(Yamada-san wa dono hito desu ka?) – Which one is Yamada?
あそこで本を読んでいる人です。(Asoko de hon o yonde iru hito desu.) – Yamada is the one who is reading a book over there.
Sentence
あそこで写真を撮っている学生はマイクさんです。(Asoko de shashin o totte iru gakusei wa Maiku-san desu.) – The student taking pictures over there is Mike.
Note
Short forms other than ている can also be used for noun modification, such as 毎日運動する人 (mainichi undou suru hito) – a person who exercises every day and たばこをすわない人 (tabako o suwanai hito) – a person who does not smoke.
Conclusion
By mastering the use of verbs and adjectives to qualify nouns, you can add more detail and depth to your Japanese sentences.
