Relative Clauses in Japanese

In Brief

Japanese puts the description before the noun: 昨日買った本 means “the book I bought yesterday.” The basic pattern is [plain-form clause] + [noun]. Japanese needs no relative pronoun corresponding to English who, which, or that.

Overview

A relative clause is a small clause—a group of words containing a predicate—that identifies or describes a noun. A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. English normally places the clause after that noun: “the person I met yesterday.” Japanese reverses this order: 昨日会った人, literally “yesterday met person.”

This pattern is introduced at A2 because it builds directly on Japanese plain forms. It lets you turn short, separate statements into natural noun phrases: これは本です。昨日買いました。 (“This is a book. I bought it yesterday.”) becomes これは昨日買った本です。 (“This is the book I bought yesterday.”) Relative clauses are everywhere in conversation, signs, news, and written descriptions.

For an English-speaking learner, two differences matter immediately. First, do not add a Japanese equivalent of who or that: there is none in this construction. Second, wait until the final noun to discover what the whole description refers to. In 日本語を話す人, the clause 日本語を話す comes first, and 人 finally tells you that the phrase means “a person who speaks Japanese.”

How It Works

The core pattern

The beginner pattern is:

[description in plain form] + [noun]

Japanese structure	Literal order	Natural English
昨日会った + 人	yesterday met + person	the person I met yesterday
私が作った + 料理	I made + dish	the dish I made
日本語を話す + 人	speaks Japanese + person	a person who speaks Japanese
駅の近くにある + 店	is near the station + shop	the shop near the station

The final noun is called the head noun: the person or thing being described. Everything immediately before it forms the modifier. Japanese does not place は between the modifying clause and its head noun, and it does not insert です there.

Use plain forms inside the clause

A predicate tells what happens or what something is like. A verb predicate can show present/future, past, positive, or negative meaning. Use its plain form before the noun.

Meaning	Plain-form clause	Noun phrase
does / will do	読む	読む本 — a book that someone reads/will read
does not do	読まない	読まない本 — a book that someone does not read
did	読んだ	読んだ本 — a book that someone read
did not do	読まなかった	読まなかった本 — a book that someone did not read

The time reference comes from the clause and its context. 明日使う資料 means “the materials we will use tomorrow,” while 毎日使う辞書 means “the dictionary I use every day.” The non-past form 使う can express either future or habitual action.

The containing sentence may still be polite:

• これは先生が書いた本です。 — This is a book the teacher wrote.
• 昨日来なかった人にメールを送りました。 — I sent an email to the person who did not come yesterday.

Here 書いた and 来なかった remain plain, while です and 送りました make the complete sentences polite. Avoid 先生が書きました本.

The missing role is understood

English relative pronouns can show a relationship: the person who came, the book that I read, the town where I lived. Japanese usually leaves a gap—an unspoken role inside the clause—and listeners infer that role from meaning.

Role of the head noun inside the clause	Japanese	English
person who performs the action	来た人	the person who came
thing affected by the action	私が読んだ本	the book I read
place of the action	私たちが会った店	the shop where we met
person receiving something	私が手紙を送った友達	the friend I sent a letter to

Do not repeat the head noun with a pronoun inside the Japanese clause. In 私が読んだ本, 本 is understood as the object of 読んだ, so no それを is needed.

Mark an expressed subject with が

When the modifying clause states its own subject—the person or thing performing the action—が is the safest beginner choice:

• 母が作ったケーキ — the cake my mother made
• 雨が降る日 — a day when it rains
• 窓が大きい部屋 — a room whose windows are large

English speakers may be tempted to use は because the subject feels like the topic. Inside a straightforward relative clause, however, が normally marks that local subject. は can occur for contrast or as part of a broader topic structure, but it is not the neutral default taught here.

Japanese also permits の instead of subject-marking が in many noun-modifying clauses: 私の好きな本 can mean the same basic thing as 私が好きな本, “a book I like.” This is common and natural, but が is the clearest default while learning. The advanced section explains the limit on this alternation.

Adjectives and noun-like predicates

Noun modification is not limited to action verbs. Japanese adjectives can also form the description before a noun.

Predicate type	Before a noun	Example	Meaning
い-adjective	plain adjective + noun	面白い本	an interesting book
negative い-adjective	～くない + noun	高くない店	a shop that is not expensive
past い-adjective	～かった + noun	面白かった映画	a movie that was interesting
な-adjective, present affirmative	stem + な + noun	静かな町	a quiet town
な-adjective, past	stem + だった + noun	静かだった町	a town that was quiet
noun, present relationship	noun + の + noun	日本語の先生	a Japanese-language teacher
noun predicate, past	noun + だった + noun	学生だった人	a person who was a student

A な-adjective does not use だ directly before a noun: say 静かな部屋, not 静かだ部屋. When a larger clause ends in a present affirmative な-adjective, the attributive form also ends in な: 料理が上手な人 (“a person who is good at cooking”). Past だった, negative ではない／じゃない, and negative past ではなかった／じゃなかった can stand before the noun: 有名ではない場所 (“a place that is not famous”).

A simple present noun-to-noun relationship normally uses の, as in 医者の友達 (“a friend who is a doctor” or “a doctor’s friend,” depending on context). Because の has several meanings, rephrase if precision matters. Forms such as 医者である人 occur in formal writing and are discussed below.

The whole noun phrase behaves like any noun

Once built, the entire relative-clause phrase can take the particles required by the larger sentence:

• 昨日買った本を読みました。 — I read the book I bought yesterday.
• 日本語を話す人が来ました。 — A person who speaks Japanese came.
• 姉が働いている会社に行きました。 — I went to the company where my older sister works.
• 駅の近くにある店は安いです。 — The shop near the station is inexpensive.

In the first sentence, を follows the complete phrase 昨日買った本 because that book is the object (the thing affected by the action) of 読みました. It does not belong inside 昨日買った.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
昨日会った人は田中さんです。	The person I met yesterday is Mr. Tanaka.	The head noun is the object of 会った in meaning.
私が作った料理を食べてください。	Please eat the dish I made.	私 is the expressed subject, marked by が.
日本語を話す人を探しています。	I am looking for someone who speaks Japanese.	Non-past 話す describes the person.
駅の近くにある店で昼ご飯を食べました。	We ate lunch at the shop near the station.	ある locates an inanimate shop.
毎朝飲むコーヒーはブラックです。	The coffee I drink every morning is black.	Non-past 飲む expresses a habit.
明日の会議で使う資料を準備しました。	I prepared the materials we will use at tomorrow’s meeting.	Non-past 使う has future meaning here.
先週見た映画はあまり面白くなかったです。	The movie I saw last week was not very interesting.	The containing sentence is polite; 見た is plain.
あそこに座っている人は私の先生です。	The person sitting over there is my teacher.	～ている describes an ongoing state.
犬を飼っている友達がいます。	I have a friend who has a dog.	The head noun is the person who owns the dog.
窓が大きい部屋に住みたいです。	I want to live in a room with large windows.	Literally, “a room whose windows are large.”
子どものとき住んでいた町を訪ねました。	I visited the town where I lived as a child.	The place relationship is inferred.
辛くないカレーを注文しました。	I ordered curry that is not spicy.	Negative い-adjective before a noun.
絵が上手な学生が賞を取りました。	The student who is good at drawing won a prize.	な links 上手 to 学生.
以前は病院だった建物がホテルになりました。	The building that used to be a hospital became a hotel.	A past noun predicate modifies 建物.

Common Mistakes

Copying English word order

• Wrong: 人 昨日会った
• Right: 昨日会った人
• Why: Put the complete description before the noun. English puts “I met yesterday” after “person,” but Japanese does the opposite.

Adding a word for “who” or “that”

• Wrong: 私が買ったそれ本
• Right: 私が買った本
• Why: Japanese does not insert a relative pronoun. The role of 本 as the thing bought is left unspoken inside the clause.

Using polite verb forms inside the modifier

• Wrong: 先生が書きました本です。
• Right: 先生が書いた本です。
• Why: The relative clause normally uses plain form, even when the complete sentence is polite.

Using は as the neutral clause subject

• Wrong for the intended neutral meaning: 母は作ったケーキ
• Right: 母が作ったケーキ
• Why: Use が for an ordinary subject inside the modifying clause. は marks a topic or contrast and can change how the phrase is organized.

Putting だ before a noun

• Wrong: 静かだ町 / 便利だアプリ
• Right: 静かな町 / 便利なアプリ
• Why: Present affirmative な-adjectives use な before a noun. In the past, 静かだった町 is correct.

Attaching the outer particle too early

• Wrong: 私が本を買ったを読みました。
• Right: 私が買った本を読みました。
• Why: First complete the noun phrase 私が買った本; then add を to show its role in the main sentence.

Usage Notes

Japanese relative clauses do not change for the head noun’s number, gender, or whether it refers to a person or thing. 来た人 can mean “the person who came” or “the people who came”; context or words such as 一人 and 人たち clarify number when needed.

Short modifiers are common in both speech and writing. Long clauses are grammatically possible, but listeners must hold the description in memory until they hear the final noun. In conversation, a speaker may split an overloaded phrase into two sentences. Keep early practice clauses short: time phrase, subject, object, verb, then head noun.

The choice between いる and ある still applies. Use いる for people and animals that exist or are located somewhere—庭にいる猫 (“the cat in the garden”)—and ある for inanimate things—角にある店 (“the shop on the corner”).

Some English relative expressions need a natural Japanese restructuring rather than word-for-word matching. “The reason why I was late” is commonly 遅れた理由, and “the day when we met” can be 会った日. No separate words meaning why or when are required.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A2, but they explain patterns you will meet later.

が and の are not always interchangeable

In many attributive clauses, subject が may become の:

• 私が好きな本 / 私の好きな本 — a book I like
• 雨が降る日 / 雨の降る日 — a day when it rains

The の version is especially common in writing and set-like descriptions, though both may be natural. However, do not apply the swap mechanically. Most importantly, when the head noun itself is a formal noun such as の, subject の can be confusing or unacceptable; が remains the dependable choice. Also distinguish subject-marking の from possessive の. At beginner level, consistently using が avoids these problems.

Relative clauses can be ambiguous

Because there is no relative pronoun and particles for the missing role are absent, context may allow more than one interpretation. 写真を撮った人 usually means “the person who took the photo,” because 人 naturally fills the subject gap. 私が写真を撮った人 means “the person whose photo I took” or “the person I photographed,” because 私が already supplies the subject.

Vocabulary and real-world plausibility resolve most ambiguity. When they do not, add context or rephrase. This is often better than trying to force an English relative-pronoun distinction into Japanese.

Formal である and compressed written modifiers

Formal and academic prose often uses である, the plain formal counterpart of だ:

• 重要である点 — a point that is important
• 原因である可能性 — the possibility that it is the cause
• 医師である田中さん — Mr. Tanaka, who is a physician

This style is useful to recognize but can sound stiff in ordinary conversation. Everyday speech often prefers 重要な点, 医者の田中さん, or a separate sentence.

Written Japanese can place a long, information-heavy clause before a noun, especially in news and official documents. When reading, locate the final noun first, then work backward to identify its modifier. Nested phrases are possible, as in 友達が薦めた本を書いた作家 (“the author who wrote the book my friend recommended”), but producing several layers at once can be hard to follow.

Restrictive and added information

English writing distinguishes “the students who studied” from “the students, who studied,” partly through commas and intonation. Japanese uses the same pre-noun structure for many such meanings and relies more heavily on context. 東京に住んでいる兄 can identify “my brother who lives in Tokyo,” but depending on context it can also simply add information about an already known brother. Do not expect punctuation to map neatly onto the English distinction.

Practice Tips

1. Combine two sentences. Start with 昨日、本を買いました。その本は面白いです。 Replace the repeated noun to make 昨日買った本は面白いです。 Repeat with people, places, and objects.
2. Build from the head noun backward. Choose 人, 本, 店, or 日, then add a short plain-form description before it: 働いている人, 読みたい本, よく行く店, 雨が降った日.
3. Listen for the final noun. When a Japanese sentence begins with a long description, do not translate word by word. Hold the details loosely until the head noun reveals what is being described.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Plain/Dictionary Form — relative clauses rely on plain verb and predicate forms.