ぶんぽう (Grammar)

There are three demonstrative pronouns in Japanese: これ (this one near me), それ (that one near you) and あれ (that one over there). The question word is どれ (which one?).

The following illustrates the typical use of these pronouns.

A:	あれは たなかさんのくるまですか。	Is that [over there] Tanaka's car?
B:	どれですか。	Which one [do you mean]?
A:	あれです。あのしろいくるまです。	That one [over there]. That white car.
B:	あれは スミスさんのです。	That's Smith's.
A:	じゃ、それは？	What about that one [near you]?
B:	これは よしださんのくるまです。	This one (near me) is Yoshida's car.

それ can be used to refer to something just mentioned in the previous part of the conversation.

A:	わたしのせんこうは こくさいかんけいろんです。
B:	それは えいごでなんていいますか。
A:	International Affairsっていいます。

この, その, あの, and どの are the prenominal forms of the demonstrative pronouns これ, それ, あれ, and どれ, respectively. Whereas the pronouns can stand alone as nouns, these prenominal forms must be followed by a noun and cannot be used independently. An * below marks ungrammatical combinations.

Prenominal	Noun
この	へや	はわ	あかるいですね。	This room is bright.
その	バス	はわ	べんりですね。	That bus (near you) is convenient.
あの	へや	はわ	きれいですね。	That room (over there) is pretty.
どの	くるま		ですか。	Which car is it?
* この		はわ	くるまです。	[ungrammatical]
* その		はわ	くるまです。	[ungrammatical]
* あの		はわ	くるまです。	[ungrammatical]
* どの		はわ	くるまですか。	[ungrammatical]

Note that a prenominal demonstrative can be followed by an adjective or a noun + の phrase before the noun. For example: この [せが たかい] 人 and あの [日本人の] せんせい.

modifies

this tall person

modifies

that Japanese teacher

その can also be used to refer to something/someone that is mentioned in the previous sentence as shown below.

A:	よしださんの せんこうは えいごです。	Ms. Yoshida's major is English.
B:	その人は にほんじんですか。	Is that person (= he/she) Japanese?

どの is the prenominal question word which means which. To ask which one X is, you can use the pattern XはわどのNですか as shown below. Compare this with another question word どれ which means Which one. どの and どれ are not interchangeable. どの is a prenominal form and cannot become a noun by itself while どれ is a noun by itself.

	Xはわ	どのNoun	ですか
A:	たなかさんのくるまはわ	どのくるま	ですか。	Which car is Mr. Tanaka's car?
B:		あのくるま	です。	It's that car.
A:	にほんごのクラスは	どのへや	ですか。	Which room is the Japanese class?
B:		あのへや	です。	It's that room.
	Xはわ	どれ	ですか
Q:	たなかさんのくるまはわ	どれ	ですか。	Which one is Mr. Tanaka's car?
	*たなかさんのくるまはわ	どの	ですか。	[Ungrammatical]

The demonstrative pronouns (これ, それ, あれ and どれ) we learned in Lesson 4 cannot be used to modify a noun. This fact makes all of the following ungrammatical.

Ungrammatical	Grammatical
✽ これコンピュータ	このコンピュータ: this computer
✽ それくるま	そのくるま: that car (near you)
✽ あれねこ	あのねこ: that cat (over there)
✽ どれかばん	どのかばん: which bag?

Sentence particles appear at the end of a sentence and add extra speech force or nuance to the speaker’s intent. We have seen the example of this in Lesson 3---the question particle か.

The sentence particle よ is used to assert information or present something as a fact or to make the speaker's statement more emphatic. It can be pronounced as a short よ or an elongated よお. With falling intonation, よ sounds firm and confident. With slightly rising intonation, it sounds softer and less forceful. Speakers often use よ when providing new information, correcting a misunderstanding, disagreeing, or emphasizing a point. Because it can sound assertive, however, よ is generally avoided when speaking to a superior unless the situation clearly calls for it.

Notice also that the meaning of そうですか depends on the speaker's intonation. With falling intonation, it expresses understanding or acceptance ("I see."). With rising intonation, it can express surprise, doubt, or mild disagreement ("Really?" or "Is that so?").

A:	あれはロボットですよ。↘	That's a robot! [Asserting]
or	あれはロボットですよ。↗	That's a robot! [Softly asserting]
B:	そうですか。↘	I see. [Accepting]
or	そうですか。↗	Really? [Expressing disagreement]

To ask "What is X called in Japanese?", use the expression Ｘは にほんごで なんて いいますか. In more formal speech, なんて is often replaced by なんと. The particle で indicates the language used, so にほんごで means "in Japanese." The expression いいますか comes from the verb いう ("to say" or "to call"). We will study Japanese verbs in Lesson 5.

Xはわ	Languageで	なんて・ なんと	いいますか
これは	にほんごで	なんと	いいますか。
What is this called in Japanese?
Deskはわ	にほんごで	なんて	いいますか。
What is "desk" called in Japanese?
		「つくえ」と 「つくえ」って	いいます。
It's called "tsukue."つくえ

Japanese adjectives are divided into two groups: い-adjectives and な-adjectives. We begin with い-adjectives. The dictionary forms of い-adjectives end with い. い-adjectives (such as おもしろい or いい) can be placed before a noun to describe it.

おもしろい クラス	interesting class
すっぱい うめぼし	sour pickled plumbs
おいしい おべんとう	delicious boxed lunch

The vocabulary list below presents い-adjectives in contrasting pairs whenever possible. Some adjectives, marked with a green check, do not have a natural opposite that is also an い-adjective. In those cases, the opposite is expressed with a な-adjective instead. We will study な-adjectives below. Adjectives shown in square brackets [ ] below will be introduced in subsequent lessons.

あかい	red	すっぱい	sour
かわいい	cute	いい	good, nice
あたまがいい	smart, itelligent [Lit. The head is good.]
すごい	amazing, terrific	[かっこいい]	cool, cool-looking
Opposite Pairs
おもしろい	interesting	つまらない	boring
おおきい	large	ちいさい	small
あたらしい	new	ふるい	old
たかい	expensive	やすい	cheap
たかい	tall	[ひくい]	low
おいしい	tasty	[まずい]	bad tasting
むずかしい	difficult	やさしい	easy
きびしい	strict	やさしい	kind, gentle
ひろい	spacious	[せまい]	cramped, narrow
ながい	long	[みじかい]	short
あかるい	bright	[くらい]	dark
あかるい	cheerful	[くらい]	gloomy
いい	good	✅だめ	no good
いそがしい	busy	✅ひま	not busy

い-adjectives can be embedded in noun sentences as shown below.

A:	あれは	ふるい	え	ですか。	Is that an old painting?
B1:	ええ、	ふるい	え	です。	Yes, it's an old painting.
B2:	ええ、		そう	です。	Yes, that's right.
B3:	いいえ、	ふるい	え	じゃありません。 じゃないです。	No, it's not an old painting.
B4:	いいえ、		そう	じゃありません。 じゃないです。	No, that's not correct.

Unlike い-adjectives, the dictionary forms of な-adjectives do not have a consistent ending. Like い-adjectives, however, they can be placed before a noun to modify it. When a な-adjective modifies a noun, the particle な is inserted between the adjective and the noun, as shown below.

な-Adj な	Noun
きれいな	ひと	pretty/beautiful person
りっぱな	せんせい	fine teacher
すてきな	いえ	nice house
ゆうめいな	ひと	famous person
らくな	いす	comfortable chair
げんきな	こども	healthy/energetic child

The following are opposite pairs. Some (marked by a ✅) are い-adjectives introduced in the grammar notes above.

しずか	quiet	にぎやか	cheerfully noisy
べんり	convenient	ふべん	inconvenient
✅いい	good	だめ	no good
✅いそがしい	busy	ひま	not busy

な-Adjectives can be embedded in noun sentences as shown below.

A:	あれは	ゆうめいな	え	ですか。	Is that a famous painting?
B1:	ええ、	ゆうめいな	え	です。	Yes, that's a famous painting.
B2:	ええ、		そう	です。	Yes, that's right.
B3:	いいえ、	ゆうめいな	え	じゃありません。 じゃないです。	No, that's not a famous painting.
B4:	いいえ、		そう	じゃありません。 じゃないです。	No, that's not correct.

Japanese often omits a noun when it is already understood from the context. In such cases, の is used after an adjective to stand in place of the omitted noun. This is similar to the English word "one" in expressions such as "the red one" or "the new one." Compare the following.

• これはわ あかいくるまです。: This is a red car.
  
• これはわ あかいのです。: This is a red one.
  

In the second sentence, くるま ("car") is omitted because it is already understood. The の replaces the omitted noun. Other examples:

• あたらしいのを おねがいします。: Please give me a new one.
  
• むずかしいのはわ どれですか。: Which one is the difficult one?
  

This pattern can be used with both い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

• あかいの: the red one
  
• しずかなの: the quiet one
  

✅ Note: In this pattern, の replaces a noun that has already been mentioned or is clear from the context. In the next section, you will see that の can also follow a noun to express the same idea.

Like Adjective + の, Noun + の uses の to replace a noun that has already been mentioned or is clear from the context. When the preceding noun refers to a person, this pattern often corresponds to English possessive pronouns such as mine, yours, his, hers, ours, or theirs. Compare the following:

1. それは ひろしの おべんとうです。 That is Hiroshi's boxed lunch.
2. それは ひろしのです。 That is Hiroshi's.

In the second sentence, おべんとう is omitted because it is understood from the context. The の replaces the omitted noun. Other examples:

1. これは わたしのです。　 This is mine.
2. あれは せんせいのです。　That is the teacher's.
3. どれがあなたのですか。　Which one is yours?

✅ Note: This use of の is different from the possessive particle の in expressions such as ひろしの おべんとう ("Hiroshi's boxed lunch"). Here, の does not connect two nouns. Instead, it replaces an omitted noun. This use of の is often analyzed as a nominal pronoun because it functions as a substitute for a noun.

The sentence particles ね and ねえ, when pronounced with falling intonation, are used to seek the listener's agreement or to invite the listener to share the speaker's feeling or opinion. For example, おもしろいですねえ means It's interesting, isn't it? or It's interesting, don't you think? The form ねえ is more emphatic than ね. A typical response is そうですねえ (Yes, it is. or I agree.), as Speaker B says in the dialogue below.

A:	おもしろいですねえ。↘	It's interesting, isn't it?	Seeking agreement
B1:	そうですねえ。↘	Yes, it is!	Agreement
B2:	そうですか。↗	Really?	Disagreement or doubt

A short ね with a rising intonation is used to confirm something. A rising pitch is often written with a question mark.

A:	たなかさんの へやですね？↗	It's Ms. Tanaka's room, isn't it?	Seeking confirmation
B1:	ええ、そうですよ。↗	Yes, it is.	Softly asserting
B2:	そうですか。↘	I see.	Accepting

In A1 below, だれ is the question word who, and だれの＋X means whose X? A1 marks それ with the topic particle は, treating it as the established topic of the conversation. The question だれのかばんですか (Whose bag is it?) asks B1 to identify the owner of that bag.

A1: それは だれのかばんですか。 (Whose bag is it?)

B1: わたしのかばんです。 (It's my bag.)

In contrast, in A2 below, どれ is the question word which one? A2 marks にほんごのほん with the topic particle は, making the Japanese-language book the established topic. The question どれですか (Which one is it?) asks B2 to identify which object is the Japanese-language book.

A2: にほんごのほんは どれですか。 (Which one is the Japanese-language book?)

B2: あれです。 (It's that one.)

If B2 instead answers あれは にほんごのほんです (That one is the Japanese-language book), the statement is factually correct. However, it changes the information structure of the conversation. By marking あれ with は, B2 makes あれ the topic and presents にほんごのほん as new information. In other words, B2 answers a different question—namely, What is that? rather than Which one is the Japanese-language book? Since the topic established by A2 is にほんごのほん, the most appropriate answer is あれです, which preserves the topic–comment structure introduced by the question.

Adjectives can be used in adjectival sentences (e.g., Sentences that end with な-Adj＋です) as shown below. The negative forms of な-adjective sentences are the same as those used in noun sentences. な-adjective sentences behave more like a noun sentences in this sense.

A:	あれは	ゆうめい	ですか。	Is that famous?
B1:	ええ、	ゆうめい	です。	Yes, that's famous.
B2:	いいえ、	ゆうめい	じゃありません。 じゃないです。	No, it's not famous.

If な-adjectives conjugate like nouns, why don’t we simply call them な-nouns? One way to identify a true noun in Japanese is that it can be replaced by the demonstrative そう (so / that), which refers back to previously mentioned information. For example: それは ペンですか。→ ええ、そうです。 Here, そう stands in for the noun ペン, confirming that ペン functions as a noun. However, this substitution is not possible with な-adjectives as noted by an * below:

A:	きょうしつは しずかですか。	Is the classroom quiet?
B1:	✽ ええ、そうです。	[Ungrammatical]
B2:	✽ いいえ、そうじゃありません。	[Ungrammatical]

The correct responses for B above are B1: ええ、しずかです and B2: いいえ、しずかじゃありません. The following are additional examples why な-adjectives are not a noun. The adverb like とても (very; See below) can be used with な-adjectives. This cannot be done with nouns.

　それは とても べんりです。 That is very convenient.
✽ それは とても ほんです。 [Ungrammatical]

The particle の is used for combining a noun with another noun while な is used for combining な-adjective with a noun.

にほんの ひと: a person in Japan
きれいな ひと: a pretty person

These facts show that な-adjectives behave differently from nouns at a deeper grammatical level. For this reason, despite surface similarities in conjugation, な-adjectives are classified as adjectives, not nouns.

い-adjectives can also be used in adjectival sentences as shown below. The negative forms of い-adjective sentences are formed by changing the last い sound to く and adding either ありません or ないです as shown below.

		い-Adj	Affirmative
A:	これは	あたらしい	ですか。	Is this new?
B1:	ええ、	あたらしい	です。	Yes, that's new.
		い-Adj	Negative
B2:	いいえ、	あたらしく	ありません。 ないです。	No, it's not new.

⚠ Note that the negative forms of いいです are よくありません and よくないです (not いくありません or いくないです). This is because よい is the original form of いい. Although いい is the normal conversational form, inflected forms are based on よい.

Adjective sentences can be used to answer どんな Nounですか questions (What kind of X something is).

A:	あれは	どんな	ロボット	ですか。	What kind of robot is that?
B:		べんりな	ロボット	です。	It's a convenient robot.
		あたまがいい	ロボット	です。	It's a smart robot.