の (1)

Particle (Basic ㊦ 312)

A particle which, with a preceding noun phrase, forms a phrase to modify a following noun phrase.

Equivalent: ‘s; of; in; at; for; by; from

これは先生の本だ・です。
This is my teacher's book.
これは友達からの手紙だ・です。
This is a letter from my friend.
私の本  学校の名前  今日の新聞
my book  the name of the school  today's paper
日本の寺  駅の電話
a temple in Japan  a telephone at the station
美術の本  日本語の試験
a book on fine arts  an exam on Japanese
桜の花  桃の木  バスの切符  風邪の薬
a cherry blossom  a peach tree  a bus ticket  cold medicine
日本語の先生  音楽の学生
a teacher of Japanese  a student of music
友達の大木さん  医者の森田さん  カラーの写真  十歳の子供
my friend Mr. Ooki  a medical doctor, Dr. Morita  a photo in colour  a ten year old child
絹のドレス  れんがの家
a silk dress  a brick house
八時からのパーティー  先生との話し合い
a party which starts at eight o’clock  a discussion with the teacher

Formation

(i) Noun の Noun 田中さんの家 Mr. Tanaka’s house
  アメリカの大学 A university in America
(ii) Noun Particle の Noun 日本での仕事 A job in Japan
  メアリーへのプレゼント A present for Mary

Notes

1. Generally, の combines two noun phrases into a larger noun phrase. In AのB, Aの modifies B and indicates a specific member(s) of B among all the members of B. A and B in AのB relate to each other in various ways, and these relationships are determined by context. Some common relationships follow.

2. In AのB, A is sometimes a noun phrase with a particle, as in Key Sentence (B) and Example (i). Note that の cannot be omitted in this case, because it indicates that the preceding noun phrase with a particle modifies the following noun phrase. Without の, the noun phrase with the particle is interpreted as an adverbial phrase which modifies the predicate in the clause. For example, in (1a) 八時から 'from eight o'clock' modifies 行きました 'went', while in (1b) 八時からの modifies パーティー 'party'.

3. The "AのB" construction can be extended as in "AのBのCの..." Examples:

4. In AのB, B can be omitted if it is apparent from context. Examples: