Japanese Lesson 08 – Possession · N5

📋 Expression Reference — Possession with の

Key phrases for expressing and asking about ownership. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

STANDARD — ていねい (DESU/MASU)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
これはわたしの [もの]です	Kore wa watashi no [mono] desu	そうですかSou desu ka	Claiming ownership
あなたの [もの]ですか？	Anata no [mono] desu ka?	はい、そうです。/ いいえ、ちがいます。Hai, sou desu. / Iie, chigaimasu.	Asking if something belongs to someone
だれの [もの]ですか？	Dare no [mono] desu ka?	～さんのです~-san no desu	Asking whose something is
～さんの [もの]です	~-san no [mono] desu	ありがとうございますArigatou gozaimasu	Attributing ownership by name
わたしのじゃないです	Watashi no ja nai desu	では、だれのですか？Dewa, dare no desu ka?	Denying ownership (standard)

CASUAL — くだけた言い方

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
これ、ぼく/わたしのだよ	Kore, boku/watashi no da yo	あ、そう！A, sou!	Claiming item casually
それ、きみの？	Sore, kimi no?	うん。/ ちがうよ。Un. / Chigau yo.	Asking ownership casually
だれの？	Dare no?	～のだよ~ no da yo	Quick "whose?" (noun dropped)
～の（noun drop）	~ no	うん、そうだよUn, sou da yo	Dropping noun when context is clear

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three scenes about possession at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — FORMAL · Office Lost & Found

エマ

すみません、こちらはやまださんのかばんですか？

Sumimasen, kochira wa Yamada-san no kaban desu ka?

Excuse me, is this bag Yamada-san's?

こちらは [NAME] さんの [もの] ですか？

kochira wa [name] -san no [thing] desu ka?

this (polite) [person] 's [item] is it?

→ こちら is the polite form of これ. Used when referring to an item in a formal or customer-service setting.

やまだ先生

いいえ、わたしのではございません。たなかさんのではないでしょうか。

Iie, watashi no de wa gozaimasen. Tanaka-san no de wa nai deshou ka.

No, it is not mine. Perhaps it might be Tanaka-san's?

わたしのではございません

watashi no de wa gozaimasen

mine [topic] is not [very formal]

→ ございません is the formal negative of あります/です. Use it to deny ownership politely in business or formal situations.

エマ

そうですか。では、だれのかばんかわかりません。おとしものがかりにきいてみます。

Sou desu ka. Dewa, dare no kaban ka wakarimasen. Otoshimono-gakari ni kiite mimasu.

I see. Then I don't know whose bag it is. I'll try asking at the lost & found.

B — STANDARD · Café Phone on the Table

みどり

ねえ、このスマートフォン、あなたのですか？

Nee, kono sumātofon, anata no desu ka?

Hey, is this smartphone yours?

アレックス

あ、ちがいます。わたしのはくろいです。それはだれのですか？

A, chigaimasu. Watashi no wa kuroi desu. Sore wa dare no desu ka?

Oh, it's not. Mine is black. Whose is that?

わたしのは [いろ] です

watashi no wa [iro] desu

mine [topic] [colour] is

→ Noun drop in action: わたしのは = "mine (as for mine)" — the noun スマートフォン is understood from context and dropped.

みどり

わかりません。みせのひとにきいてみます。

Wakarimasen. Mise no hito ni kiite mimasu.

I don't know. I'll try asking the café staff.

C — CASUAL · Friends, Borrowing a Pen

ゆき

ねえ、そのペン、だれの？

Nee, sono pen, dare no?

Hey, whose pen is that?

ルーカス

ぼくのだよ。でも、きみのペンをかしてくれる？

Boku no da yo. Demo, kimi no pen wo kashite kureru?

It's mine. But can you lend me your pen?

[だいめいし] の [もの] をかして

[pronoun] no [thing] wo kashite

[pronoun] 's [item] lend [casual request]

→ かして (te-form of かす) is a soft casual request. Add くれる for "will you lend me?" or ください for a polite request.

ゆき

いいよ！でもなくさないでね。

Ii yo! Demo nakusanai de ne.

Sure! But don't lose it, okay.

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

1 · の as possessive vs. noun modifier

[PERSON] の [NOUN] — possessive

わたしのかばん

watashi no kaban

"my bag" — の links owner to owned thing

Also: やまださんのほん = Yamada's book, かれのくるま = his car

[NOUN1] の [NOUN2] — noun modifier

にほんごのほん

nihongo no hon

"Japanese language book" — not possession!

の also links two nouns where the first describes the second: みせのひと = shop staff

2 · Asking "whose?" — standard vs. casual

だれの [NOUN] ですか？ — standard

だれのかぎですか？

dare no kagi desu ka?

"Whose key is this?"

Answer: ～さんのです / わたしのです

だれの？ — casual (noun dropped)

だれの？ / それ、だれの？

Dare no? / Sore, dare no?

"Whose?" — noun dropped when obvious

Answer: ～のだよ / ぼくのだよ

3 · Noun drop after の — standard vs. casual

わたしのです — standard drop

これはわたしのです。

Kore wa watashi no desu.

"This is mine." — noun dropped after の

Noun can always be dropped once it's clear from context.

ぼくのだよ — casual drop

ぼくのだよ。 / わたしのだよ。

Boku no da yo. / Watashi no da yo.

"It's mine." — plain form + だよ for emphasis

だよ adds casual certainty; よ alone is softer.

4 · Pronoun guide — who is "I" and "you"?

1st person (I / me)

わたし / ぼく / あたし / おれ

watashi / boku / atashi / ore

neutral · male casual · female casual · rough male

Use わたし to be safe in any situation.

2nd & 3rd person

あなた / きみ · かれ / かのじょ

anata / kimi · kare / kanojo

you (std) / you (casual) · he / she

Avoid あなた with superiors — use their name + さん instead.

Exercise A — Flashcard Practice

Click the card to flip it. Use the audio button on the front to hear the phrase first.

Tap to reveal

1 / 10

Exercise B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then select the correct English meaning.

Exercise C — Choose the Right Response

Press ▶ to hear the prompt, then pick the most natural Japanese reply.

Exercise D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ Hear it and type what you hear in romaji. No capitals or punctuation needed.

Tip: long vowels — type them as they sound (e.g. おう = ou). Spaces between words are fine but not required.

Exercise E — Shadowing Practice

Listen to each line, repeat it aloud, then mark it as practised. Complete all 9 lines to finish.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

の as possessive — [PERSON] の [NOUN]

The の particle placed between a person (or pronoun) and a noun shows possession — exactly like 's in English:
  • わたしのかばん = "my bag"
  • やまださんのほん = "Yamada's book"
  • きみのペン = "your pen"
Works with any pronoun or name — just insert の between the owner and the owned item.

[ひと・だいめいし] の [もの]

[person / pronoun] no [thing]

→ "[person]'s [thing]" — swap in any owner and any noun.

これはやまださんのかばんです。

Kore wa Yamada-san no kaban desu.

This is Yamada-san's bag.

だれの — asking "whose"

だれ (who) + の = "whose." In standard speech, keep the noun and add ですか？ In casual speech, drop both the noun and ですか:
• だれのかぎですか？ — "Whose key is it?" (standard)
• だれの？ — "Whose?" (casual, noun dropped)
Answer mirrors the question: ～さんのです or ぼくのだよ.

A: だれのかぎですか？ B: やまださんのです。

A: Dare no kagi desu ka? B: Yamada-san no desu.

A: Whose key is it? B: It's Yamada-san's.

の as noun modifier — [NOUN1] の [NOUN2]

の also links two nouns where the first describes or categorises the second — this is NOT possession:
  • にほんごのほん = "Japanese language book" (not owned by Japanese)
  • だいがくのともだち = "university friend" (friend from university)
  • みせのひと = "shop person" = shop staff
Key check: if you can say "X-type Y" or "Y of X," it's a modifier, not a possessive.

にほんごのほんをかいました。

Nihongo no hon wo kaimashita.

I bought a Japanese language book.

Noun drop after の

Once the noun is clear from context, drop it after の. This is very common and natural in Japanese:
  • わたしのかばんです → わたしのです ("It's mine.")
  • だれのかぎですか？ → だれのですか？ ("Whose is it?")
  • ぼくのだよ ("It's mine." — casual, noun dropped)
In casual speech, this happens almost every time the noun is obvious.

A: これ、きみの？ B: うん、ぼくのだよ。

A: Kore, kimi no? B: Un, boku no da yo.

A: Is this yours? B: Yeah, it's mine.

Pronoun register — choosing the right "I" and "you"

Choosing the right pronoun signals register:
1st person:
  • わたし — neutral, all genders, all registers ✅ safe default
  • ぼく — male casual/standard
  • あたし — female casual
  • おれ — rough male casual (avoid in formal situations)
2nd person:
  • きみ — casual "you"
  • あなた — standard "you" — avoid with superiors, use their name instead
Formal:
  • どちらさま — very formal "who / whose" (customer service, formal announcements)

Formal possession — ございません

In very formal speech, upgrade the negative form:
• わたしのじゃないです → わたしのではございません (It is not mine.)
• だれのですか？ → どちらさまのでしょうか？ (Whose might it be?)
These forms are used in business, customer service, hotel staff, and formal announcements.

【ふつう】わたしのじゃないです。【けいご】わたしのではございません。

[Standard] Watashi no ja nai desu. [Formal] Watashi no de wa gozaimasen.

It's not mine. — standard vs. formal register.

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
の	no	possessive particle / noun modifier
わたし	watashi	I / me (neutral, all registers)
ぼく	boku	I / me (male casual)
あなた	anata	you (standard — avoid with superiors)
きみ	kimi	you (casual, to equals/juniors)
かれ	kare	he / him / boyfriend
かのじょ	kanojo	she / her / girlfriend
だれ	dare	who
どちらさま	dochira-sama	who (very formal)
かばん	kaban	bag
でんわ	denwa	phone / telephone
かぎ	kagi	key
ペン	pen	pen
なくす	nakusu	to lose (something)
かす	kasu	to lend