の Particle: Showing Possession + Attribute Marker

Introduction

For this lesson, we’ll be learning about another particle! This time it's the の particle, which we can use to modify nouns in different ways, usually by connecting them with another noun. With の, you'll learn how to express possession (such as “John’s book”), the characteristics of a noun, as well as how to specify the quantities or location of things.

You'll be learning plenty of stuff today from only one particle so I'd say this one's a bargain!

Your New Friend: The の Particle

Expressing Possession

Structure:

• 

  Noun 1のNoun 2
  Example:
  → これは私わたしのイスです。
  ”This is my chair.”

The main use of the の particle is similar to how we use an apostrophe and the letter s in English to indicate ownership of something. For example, "Maru's tree". By adding an apostrophe and an s to the noun, we now know whose tree it is.