Describing Nouns: Complex Clauses

In Japanese, you can describe nouns not only with simple adjectives (like akai (赤い, red)) but also with entire clauses. These are called relative clauses, or more formally, 連体修飾節 (rentai shūshoku setsu), which translates to "adnominal modifying clause". They allow you to add detailed information about a noun, similar to "the book that I read" or "the person who lives in Tokyo" in English. Think of them as "mini-sentences" that describe the noun.

Structure

A relative clause always comes before the noun it describes. This is a crucial difference from English, where relative clauses often (but not always) follow the noun.

[Clause] + Noun

The clause can be in present, past, or future tense, positive or negative, and can include objects, subjects, adverbs, or other details. The possibilities are endless!

Forming Relative Clauses

The key to forming relative clauses is to use the plain form of verbs and adjectives. This is the same form you use in dictionaries or when speaking casually.

• Present Affirmative: 話す (hanasu - to speak), 食べる (taberu - to eat)
• Present Negative: 話さない (hanasanai - to not speak), 食べない (tabenai - to not eat)
• Past Affirmative: 話した (hanashita - spoke), 食べた (tabeta - ate)
• Past Negative: 話さなかった (hanasanakatta - did not speak), 食べなかった (tabenakatta - did not eat)
• い-adjectives: 美味しい (oishii - delicious), 高い (takai - expensive) - no change
• な-adjectives: 好きな (sukina - liked) - add な when used as a pre-noun adjective. For example, 好きな食べ物 (sukina tabemono - favorite food)

Examples

Let's look at some examples to solidify your understanding.

Japanese	Romaji	English Translation	Notes
私が昨日読んだ本	watashi ga kinō yonda hon	the book that I read yesterday	Past tense verb (読んだ - yonda) describing "book" (本 - hon).
彼が作ったケーキ	kare ga tsukutta kēki	the cake that he made	Past tense verb (作った - tsukutta) describing "cake" (ケーキ - kēki).
東京に住んでいる人	Tōkyō ni sunde iru hito	the person who lives in Tokyo	Present continuous verb (住んでいる - sunde iru) describing "person" (人 - hito).
先生が教えている学生	sensei ga oshiete iru gakusei	the student whom the teacher teaches	Present continuous verb (教えている - oshiete iru) describing "student" (学生 - gakusei).
母が買った赤い車	haha ga katta akai kuruma	the red car that my mother bought	Contains both a relative clause (母が買った - haha ga katta) and an adjective (赤い - akai) before "car".
私が毎日飲むコーヒー	watashi ga mainichi nomu kōhī	the coffee that I drink every day	Present tense verb (飲む - nomu) describing "coffee" (コーヒー - kōhī).
友達が教えてくれたレストラン	tomodachi ga oshiete kureta resutoran	the restaurant that my friend told me about	Past tense verb (教えてくれた - oshiete kureta) describing "restaurant".
静かな図書館	shizuka na toshokan	the quiet library	Na-adjective (静かな - shizuka na) describing "library" (図書館 - toshokan).
美味しいラーメン	oishii rāmen	the delicious ramen	い-adjective (美味しい - oishii) describing "ramen" (ラーメン - rāmen).
勉強しない学生	benkyō shinai gakusei	the student who doesn't study	Present negative verb (勉強しない - benkyō shinai) describing "student".
昨日雨が降った日	kinō ame ga futta hi	the day it rained yesterday	Past tense verb (降った - futta) describing "day" (日 - hi).
これは私が一番好きな映画です。	kore wa watashi ga ichiban sukina eiga desu.	This is the movie I like the most.	Na-adjective (好きな - sukina) within a relative clause describing "movie".
彼女がいつも着ている服	kanojo ga itsumo kite iru fuku	the clothes she always wears	Present continuous (着ている - kite iru) describes "clothes" (fuku)
あの人が持っている携帯電話は新しいです。	ano hito ga motte iru keitai denwa wa atarashii desu.	The phone that person has is new.	Present continuous (持っている - motte iru) describes "cell phone" (keitai denwa)
これは私が書いたレポートです。	kore wa watashi ga kaita repōto desu.	This is the report that I wrote.	Past Tense (書いた - kaita) describes "report" (repōto)

Particles in Relative Clauses

Pay close attention to the use of particles within the clause. While particles like ga (が) and o (を) are often retained, sometimes they can be omitted, particularly in more informal speech. No (の) can also be used to connect nouns to the following noun:

• Subject Marker (が): 私が食べた (watashi ga tabeta) - that I ate
• Object Marker (を): 私が読んだ (watashi o yonda) - that I read
• Possessive Marker (の): 母の作った (haha no tsukutta) - that my mother made
• Location Marker (に/で): 東京に住んでいる (Toukyou ni sunde iru) - who lives in Tokyo
• Indirect Object Marker (に): 先生に聞いた (sensei ni kiita) - that I asked the teacher

Sometimes, the object marker を is dropped for a more natural sound, especially in casual speech. For example, instead of "私が読んだ本 (watashi ga yonda hon)," you might hear "私が読んだ本 (watashi ga yonda hon)." It depends on the context and the speaker's preference.

More Complex Examples

Let's try some more complex sentences to really challenge your skills!

Japanese	Romaji	English Translation	Notes
私が留学していた時に知り合った友達	watashi ga ryūgaku shite ita toki ni shiriatta tomodachi	the friend I met when I was studying abroad	Combining a relative clause (私が留学していた時に知り合った - watashi ga ryūgaku shite ita toki ni shiriatta) with the noun "friend". The 時 marks when it happened.
彼が子供の頃からずっと夢見ていた車	kare ga kodomo no koro kara zutto yumemite ita kuruma	the car that he had always dreamed of since he was a child	The phrase 「子供の頃からずっと」 adds a level of complexity
先週行ったレストランで食べた料理はとても美味しかった。	senshū itta resutoran de tabeta ryōri wa totemo oishikatta.	The food I ate at the restaurant I went to last week was very delicious.	This sentence uses a relative clause (先週行ったレストランで食べた - senshū itta resutoran de tabeta) to describe the noun "food".
これは私が大学で勉強している言語学の本です。	kore wa watashi ga daigaku de benkyō shite iru gengogaku no hon desu.	This is the linguistics book that I am studying at university.	The relative clause (私が大学で勉強している - watashi ga daigaku de benkyō shite iru) describes "linguistics book".
昨日駅で見かけた女性が着ていたコートは素敵だった。	kinō eki de mikaketa josei ga kite ita kōto wa suteki datta.	The coat that the woman I saw at the station yesterday was wearing was lovely.	This sentence includes a relative clause (昨日駅で見かけた女性が着ていた - kinō eki de mikaketa josei ga kite ita) describing "coat".
最近、友達が勧めてくれた映画が面白かった。	saikin, tomodachi ga susumete kureta eiga ga omoshirokatta.	Recently, the movie my friend recommended was interesting.	Uses the verb 勧めてくれた (susumete kureta - recommended to me) to show the friend did a favor for the speaker.

Tips and Tricks

• Start Simple: Begin with basic clauses and gradually increase the complexity.
• Practice Regularly: The more you practice, the more natural it will become.
• Listen Carefully: Pay attention to how native speakers use relative clauses in conversation and in media.
• Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes: Mistakes are part of the learning process.

Potential Pitfalls

• Word Order: Remember that the relative clause ALWAYS precedes the noun it modifies. Reversing the order is a common mistake for learners.
• Plain Form: Forgetting to use the plain form of verbs and adjectives is another frequent error. Always double-check that you are using the correct form.
• Overuse: While relative clauses are useful, avoid overusing them. Sometimes, breaking a long sentence into shorter, simpler sentences is more effective.
• Particles: Don't be afraid to drop the object marker (を) if the context allows.

Practice

Now it's your turn to put your knowledge into practice! Translate the following English sentences into Japanese using relative clauses.

1. The song that I listened to on the radio this morning.
2. The person who is good at cooking.
3. The book that my younger sister wants to read.
4. The cat that is sleeping on the chair.
5. The place where I want to go next summer.

Answers

1. 今朝ラジオで聞いた歌 kesa rajio de kiita uta
2. 料理が上手な人 ryōri ga jōzu na hito
3. 妹が読みたい本 imōto ga yomitai hon
4. 椅子の上で寝ている猫 isu no ue de nete iru neko
5. 私が来年の夏に行きたい場所 watashi ga rainen no natsu ni ikitai basho

More Exercises

Let's try some fill-in-the-blanks. Complete the sentences with the correct relative clause using the provided verbs/adjectives.

1. これは、私が (つくった - tsukutta, made) __________ ケーキです。 kore wa, watashi ga (tsukutta) __________ kēki desu. This is the cake that I _____.
2. (日本語を勉強している - nihongo o benkyō shite iru, studying Japanese) __________ 学生は、とても熱心です。 (nihongo o benkyō shite iru) __________ gakusei wa, totemo nesshin desu. The students who are _____ are very enthusiastic.
3. (高い - takai, expensive) __________ カメラが欲しいです。 (takai) __________ kamera ga hoshii desu. I want an _____ camera.
4. (静かな - shizuka na, quiet) __________ 場所が好きです。 (shizuka na) __________ basho ga suki desu. I like _____ places.
5. 彼が (買った - katta, bought) __________ 車は、新しいです。 kare ga (katta) __________ kuruma wa, atarashii desu. The car that he _____ is new.

Answers

1. つくった (tsukutta) 2. 日本語を勉強している (nihongo o benkyō shite iru) 3. 高い (takai) 4. 静かな (shizuka na) 5. 買った (katta)

Creative Exercise

Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) in Japanese describing your favorite place using at least two relative clauses.

For example:

私が一番好きな場所は、子供の頃からよく行っていた公園です。春には、母が植えた花が咲き、とても綺麗です。そこで、私はいつも本を読みます。 (Watashi ga ichiban sukina basho wa, kodomo no koro kara yoku itte ita kōen desu. Haru ni wa, haha ga ueta hana ga saki, totemo kirei desu. Soko de, watashi wa itsumo hon o yomimasu.) (My favorite place is the park that I used to go to often since I was a child. In spring, the flowers that my mother planted bloom, and it's very beautiful. I always read books there.)