JLPT N3 reference · Complex clauses
Relative clauses
The missing role inside the clause is recovered from context and the head noun’s relationship to the predicate.
Core meaning and form
Place a plain-form clause directly before the noun it modifies; Japanese uses no relative pronoun. Particles that would mark the head noun inside the relative clause are normally absent.
- Form: Place a plain-form clause directly before the noun it modifies; Japanese uses no relative pronoun.
- Core use: The missing role inside the clause is recovered from context and the head noun’s relationship to the predicate.
- Context: Particles that would mark the head noun inside the relative clause are normally absent.
Examples in context
昨日買った本を読みました。Kinō katta hon o yomimashita.I read the book that I bought yesterday.
日本語を教えている先生です。Nihongo o oshiete iru sensei desu.She is a teacher who teaches Japanese.
母が作った料理はおいしい。Haha ga tsukutta ryōri wa oishii.The food my mother made is delicious.
Common errors
- Do not select this pattern from an English translation alone; check its attachment and discourse function.
- Keep the surrounding sentence in a consistent plain, polite, spoken, or written register.
Quick summary
- Place a plain-form clause directly before the noun it modifies; Japanese uses no relative pronoun.
- The missing role inside the clause is recovered from context and the head noun’s relationship to the predicate.
- Particles that would mark the head noun inside the relative clause are normally absent.