4.9 Modifying Nouns

Step 1: Adjectives modifying nouns (review)

You already know how adjectives come before nouns.

Japanese noun modification works the same way — everything that describes a noun comes before it.

Step 2: Verb (plain non-past) + noun

A verb in the plain (dictionary) form can directly precede a noun.

Step 3: Verb (plain past) + noun

A verb in the plain past form can also modify a noun.

Step 4: Full clause + noun

An entire clause — with its own time expressions, objects, and subject — can be packed before a noun. Read from right to left to find the noun being modified.

The subject of the modifying clause is marked with が (not は):

Comparison with English

English uses "who", "which", or "that" after the noun:

• "the person who helped me"
• "the book that I read"

Japanese uses no connector word at all — the modifier just goes before the noun:

There is also no distinction between people (who) and things (which/that) in Japanese. The same structure works for both.