Japanese Relative Clauses: 'Where' for Places and 'Whose' for Possession
Learn to build Japanese relative clauses that describe a place with 'where' or show possession with 'whose', using plain-form verbs and no relative pronoun.
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Japanese has no words that work exactly like English 'where' or 'whose' inside a relative clause. Instead, a full plain-form clause is placed directly before the noun it describes. To say 'the house where I grew up', you put the plain clause 私が育った (watashi ga sodatta, 'I grew up') directly before 家 (ie, 'house'). For possession, the owner is marked with の (no): 目が青い人 (me ga aoi hito, 'a person whose eyes are blue'). This lesson teaches you to describe places and possessions naturally without adding any relative pronoun.
By the end, you can…
- describe a place using a plain-form clause placed directly before a place noun such as 家, 町 or 学校.
- express possession inside a relative clause using の, as in 目が青い人.
- tell when a の clause means 'whose' rather than a simple noun link.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私が育った家は小さいです。
The house where I grew up is small.
Watashi ga sodatta ie wa chiisai desu.
The plain past verb 育った (sodatta) sits directly before 家 (ie). No word for 'where' is needed.
母が生まれた町を訪ねました。
I visited the town where my mother was born.
Haha ga umareta machi o tazunemashita.
母が生まれた (haha ga umareta) describes 町 (machi). The particle を marks the whole phrase as the object.
目が青い人を知っていますか。
Do you know a person whose eyes are blue?
Me ga aoi hito o shitte imasu ka.
目が青い (me ga aoi) is a full clause before 人 (hito). の is not used here because the eyes are the subject of the clause.
これは父の勤めている会社です。
This is the company where my father works.
Kore wa chichi no tsutomete iru kaisha desu.
父の (chichi no) shows possession inside the clause; 勤めている (tsutomete iru) describes 会社 (kaisha).
屋根が赤い家が私の家です。
The house whose roof is red is my house.
Yane ga akai ie ga watashi no ie desu.
屋根が赤い (yane ga akai) modifies 家 (ie). The second が marks the subject of the whole sentence.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
A Japanese relative clause is a plain-form sentence placed directly before a noun. For a place: 私が育った家 (watashi ga sodatta ie) means 'the house where I grew up'. For possession, the owner can be marked with の inside the clause: 父の勤めている会社 (chichi no tsutomete iru kaisha) means 'the company where my father works'. When the possessed thing is the subject of the clause, use が: 目が青い人 (me ga aoi hito) means 'a person whose eyes are blue'. The relative pronoun itself is never translated.
When to use it
Use a place clause before nouns like 家 (ie), 町 (machi), 学校 (gakkou) or 店 (mise) when you want to identify which place you mean: 私が生まれた町 (watashi ga umareta machi, 'the town where I was born'). Use a の clause when the first noun owns or is closely tied to the second: 母の作った料理 (haha no tsukutta ryouri, 'the food my mother made'). If the clause has its own subject, mark it with が, not の: 雨が降っている日 (ame ga futte iru hi, 'a day when it is raining').
Plain form before the noun
Relative clauses use plain forms, not polite forms. Say 私が育った家 (watashi ga sodatta ie), not 私が育ちました家. Polite endings appear only at the end of the whole sentence: 私が育った家は小さいです (Watashi ga sodatta ie wa chiisai desu). The same rule applies to adjectives: 屋根が赤い家 (yane ga akai ie, 'the house whose roof is red').
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
あなたが生まれた町はどこですか。
Where is the town where you were born?Anata ga umareta machi wa doko desu ka.私が生まれた町は京都の近くです。
The town where I was born is near Kyoto.Watashi ga umareta machi wa Kyouto no chikaku desu.屋根が赤い家を知っていますか。
Do you know the house whose roof is red?Yane ga akai ie o shitte imasu ka.はい、あれは父の建てた家です。
Yes, that is the house my father built.Hai, are wa chichi no tateta ie desu.A little context goes a long way
Japanese relative clauses are common in everyday speech, but long clauses can sound heavy in casual conversation. Short clauses like 私が住んでいる町 (watashi ga sunde iru machi, 'the town where I live') are very natural. In formal writing, the same plain-form pattern is standard, so mastering it helps both speech and reading.
One thing to watch for
Inserting a Japanese word for 'where' or 'whose', as in 私が育ったところの家 (watashi ga sodatta tokoro no ie).
Try this instead: Place the plain clause directly before the noun with no relative pronoun: 私が育った家 (watashi ga sodatta ie, 'the house where I grew up'). The noun 家 already carries the meaning of 'place'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'The school where I studied is old.'
Show a sample answer
私が勉強した学校は古いです。 (Watashi ga benkyou shita gakkou wa furui desu.)
The plain past 勉強した (benkyou shita) directly modifies 学校 (gakkou). 私が通った学校 (watashi ga kayotta gakkou) is also correct if you mean 'attended'.
2Translate: 'a person whose hair is long'
Show a sample answer
髪が長い人 (kami ga nagai hito)
髪が長い (kami ga nagai) is a full clause before 人 (hito). が marks the subject inside the clause; の would be wrong here.
3Translate: 'the company where my father works'
Show a sample answer
父の勤めている会社 (chichi no tsutomete iru kaisha)
父の (chichi no) shows possession inside the clause, and 勤めている (tsutomete iru) describes 会社 (kaisha). 父が勤めている会社 is also acceptable because 父 can be the subject of the clause.
In Japanese, do not translate 'where' or 'whose'. Put a plain-form clause directly before the noun, and use の for the owner or が for the clause subject.
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