How to use の [no] in Japanese?

The Japanese particle の transcribed no has two main functions: to connect two nouns and to replace a noun.

To connect two nouns → の transcribed no indicates a possessive relationship exists between the two nouns.
健二の家族は千葉に住んでいる。
Transcription: Kenji no kazoku wa Chiba ni sundeiru.
Translation: Kenji’s family lives in Chiba.
As in English, the possessive is used to express ownership but it can also express other relationships between the noun, such as that one noun is part of the other ("The branch of a tree") or affiliated with the other ("Jessica’s school").
To replace a noun → の transcribed no can be used like “one” in English phrases like “the expensive one” or “the one I told you about.”
あの赤いのをお願いします。
Transcription: Ano akai no o onegaishimasu.
Translation: That red one please.

の transcribed no does have a few other uses, but in this post we’ll focus on these two most common ones, providing examples along the way. With each use, we’ll show you where to put it in a sentence and discuss some common mistakes learners make and how to avoid them. Let’s get started!

How does の [no] express possession?

When you’re using の transcribed no to express possession, you simply place の transcribed no between the two noun phrases you want to connect. The first noun is the “possessor” or “owner” noun, while the second is the “possessed.”

Possessor noun

の

no

Possessed noun

この漫画の主人公が好きです。

Kono manga no shujinkō ga suki desu.

I like this manga’s main character.

友達の弟は15歳になりました。

Tomodachi no otōto wa jūgo sai ni nari mashita.

(My) friend’s younger brother turned 15.

You could translate the sentences above using “of” as well, as in “the main character of this manga” or “the younger brother of my friend.” However, the word order in Japanese matches the word order of the possessive -’s, so it can be easier to use that translation when you have a choice!

As you can see from some of the examples above, just like in English, the possessive relationship drawn using の transcribed no is not always one of ownership. It can express many other relationships of more abstract “belonging” as well. Let’s have a look!

What kinds of relationships can の [no] indicate?

The Japanese particle の can be used any time something “belongs” to something else, but that “belonging” is not always as literal as ownership.

Let’s have a look at some examples of the types of relationships you may use の transcribed no to describe. These should all be pretty familiar from English:


Relationship	Example
Ownership	それは私の本です。 Transcription: Sore wa watashi no hon desu. Translation: That’s my book.
Close personal relationship	健二の家族は千葉に住んでいる。 Transcription: Kenji no kazoku wa Chiba ni sundeiru. Translation: Kenji’s family lives in Chiba.
Affiliation X is a member of Y	佐藤さんはマンゴー大学の学生です。 Transcription: Satō-san wa Mangō daigaku no gakusei desu. Translation: Ms. Sato is a student of Mango University.
Part of a whole X is a piece of Y	ワシントンDCはアメリカの首都だ。 Transcription: Washinton diishii wa Amerika no shuto da. Translation: Washington DC is the capital of America.
Topic X is about Y	先週、歴史の本を買いました。 Transcription: Senshū, rekishi no hon o kaimashita. Translation: I bought a book about history last week.
Material X is made of Y	その木の椅子に座ってください。 Transcription: Sono ki no isu ni suwatte kudasai. Translation: Please take a seat on that wooden chair.
Location X is in the direction of Y	郵便局はあの本屋の右にあります。 Transcription: Yūbinkyoku wa ano hon’ya no migi ni arimasu. Translation: The post office is to the right of that bookstore.
Creatorship X created Y	まだ村上春樹の本を読んだことがない。 Transcription: Mada Murakami Haruki no hon o yonda koto ga nai. Translation: I have never read a book yet (written) by Haruki Murakami.

Tip

Let’s talk a little more about the “material” relationship. You can also use the particle で transcribed de to indicate the material an object is made of. See if you can spot the difference between the two, though, in the examples below.

木の椅子に座ります。
Transcription: ki no isu ni suwarimasu.
Translation: I will sit on the wooden chair.
木で椅子を作ります。
Transcription: ki de isu o tsukurimasu.
Translation: I will make a chair (out) of wood.

Did you see it? We used の transcribed no to describe the existing material of the chair, while で transcribed de is used to plan the construction of a chair. So we use で transcribed dewhen discussing creating some object out of some material, but の transcribed no if we’re just discussing an existing object.

Embedded possession: When to use の [no] more than once?

If the possessor is also possessed, you will want to use の transcribed no more than once as well! This means that for every “possessor” in a phrase like “the teacher’s son’s classmate’s little sister’s cat” will require its own の transcribed no. Let’s have a look at an example:

One possessor:
先生の猫
Transcription: sensei no neko
Translation: the teacher’s cat
Two possessors:
先生の息子の猫
Transcription: sensei no musuko no neko
Translation: the teacher’s son’s cat
Three possessors:
先生の息子のクラスメイトの猫
Transcription: sensei no musuko no kurasumeito no neko
Translation: the teacher’s son’s classmate’s cat
Four possessors:
先生の息子のクラスメイトの妹の猫
Transcription: sensei no musuko no kurasumeito no imōto no neko
Translation: the teacher’s son’s classmate’s little sister’s cat

When to leave out possessive の [no]?

The particle の transcribed no is always necessary if you’re expressing a generic possessive relationship. However, we sometimes leave it out if a possessive phrase is used to name something.

For example, if you wanted to talk about a university in Tokyo, you would use の transcribed no, as in…

東京の大学

Tōkyō no daigaku

a university in Tokyo,
universities in Tokyo

However, the name of the specific institution the University of Tokyo, does not include の transcribed no. So even though the same possessive relationship is understood, we don’t actually use the particle.

東京大学

Tōkyō daigaku

University of Tokyo
Tokyo University

a map depicting a specific university inside Tokyo known as Tokyo University

So when your friend says they go to 東京の大学 transcribed Tōkyō no daigaku, it can be any university located in Tokyo, and not specifically the prestigious national university!

What are some common mistakes with possessive の [no]?

The most common mistake that English speakers make when learning to use possessive の transcribed no relates to the word order. On its surface, the particle の transcribed no is very similar to the word “of” in English. However, when you use “of” the order of the possessor noun vs. possessed noun is the opposite that we see with の transcribed no in Japanese.

For example, imagine you want to say “I come from Chicago, Illinois” in Japanese. Which of the following word orders would you use?

イリノイのシカゴ出身です。
Transcription: Irinoi no Shikago shusshin desu.
シカゴのイリノイ出身です。
Transcription: Shikago no Irinoi shusshin desu.

Right, sentence A is correct! Because Chicago is located in Illinois, Chicago “belongs to” Illinois. So, following the Japanese rule, the possessor, Illinois, comes first.

If you start to feel confused, the simple way to remember the right word order is to think of の transcribed no as being like the possessive ’s. Then you won’t have any problem with the word order: Illinois’ Chicago!

How to use の [no] to mean “one”?

The particle の transcribed no can also be used as a stand-in for a noun in much the same way you use the word “one” in English phrases like “a pretty one” or “the one that is sitting by the stove.” In this case, の transcribed no functions as a pronoun, even though it’s still considered a 助詞 transcribed joshimeaning particle in Japanese.

To use の transcribed no to mean “one,” simply place の transcribed no after the adjective or clause that describes it:

adjective / clause

の

no

As long as you have a description before it, の transcribed no acts like a noun and the rest of the sentence can continue as if the noun it stands for was there. Let’s look at some examples!

adjectiveの (no)
Rental car agent:
どの車を借りますか。
Transcription: Dono kuruma o karimasu ka.
Translation: Which car will you rent?
Customer:
あの赤いのをお願いします。
Transcription: Ano akai no o onegaishimasu.
Translation: That red one please.
→ Notice that the object marker particle を transcribed o follows の transcribed no just like it would have followed 車 transcribed kurumameaning car if you’d used that instead!
clauseの (no)
Masaru:
このケーキはおいしくないね。
Transcription: Kono kēki wa oishiku nai ne.
Translation: This cake doesn’t taste good, don’t you think?
Tomoko:
昨日食べたのはおいしかったのに。
Transcription: Kinō tabeta no wa oishikatta noni.
Translation: But the one we ate yesterday was good.
Check out our post on Japanese relative clauses to learn how to form descriptive clauses like the one we see here!

Bonus: How to use の [no] to mean “which is”?

The Japanese particle の transcribed no can also be used to link a noun with something that we consider to be the same, sort of like you might use the phrase “which is” or “who is” in English. For example:

はじめまして、部長の田中です。

Hajimemashite, buchō no Tanaka desu.

Nice to meet you, (I am) Tanaka, (who is) the manager.

Notice, though, that the word order is reversed. So where, in English, you say “Tanaka, who is the manager” in Japanese, you would say “the manager の Tanaka.”

In this use, the particle の transcribed no can be combined with another particle, which will usually precede の transcribed no. Here are some particles that can combine with の transcribed no:


Combination	Example
への Transcription: e no Learn more about the particle へ transcribed e	空港で友達へのおみやげを買いました。 Transcription: Kūkō de tomodachi e no omiyage o kaimashita. Translation: I bought souvenirs (which are) for a friend at the airport.
での Transcription: de no Learn more about the particle で transcribed de	図書館での飲食は禁止です。 Transcription: Toshokan de no inshoku wa kinshi desu. Translation: Eating and drinking (which is) in the library, is not allowed.
だけの Transcription: dake no Learn more about the particle だけ transcribed dake	午前中だけのアルバイトを探しています。 Transcription: Gozenchū dake no arubaito o sagashiteimasu. Translation: I am looking for part-time jobs (which are) only in the morning.

To sum up

In this post, we’ve talked about the uses of the Japanese particle の transcribed no. Here are the important points to remember:

の transcribed no can indicate possession and other relationships of “belonging”
possessor
の
Transcription: no
possessed
の transcribed no can be used to replace a noun, like the English word “one”
adjective / clause
の
Transcription: no
の transcribed no can be used to link two nouns that are the same together, much like “which is” or “who is” in English:
definition
の
Transcription: no
defined

Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our exercises to practice using の transcribed no and test your skills. Happy learning!