In English, "the book I bought yesterday" uses a relative clause after the noun. Japanese does the opposite — it puts the entire modifying clause before the noun, with no connecting word needed:
昨日買った本 → The book (I) bought yesterday
This is called 「連体修飾」(noun modification). Once you master it, you can describe anything in a single phrase.
The Basic Rule: Modifiers Always Come First
Japanese has just one rule for modification: the modifier goes before the word it modifies.
| Modifier type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective + noun | おいしいパン | Delicious bread |
| Noun の + noun | 日本のパン | Japanese bread |
| Verb + noun | 食べるパン | Bread (that I'll) eat |
All three follow the same order: modifier first, modified noun after.
Verbs Modifying Nouns: The Key Pattern
This is the main point. Verbs can directly precede a noun to modify it, using the plain form (dictionary form, ない form, or た form):
| Verb form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary form (present/future) | 食べるパン | Bread (I'll) eat |
| ない form (negative) | 食べないパン | Bread (I) won't eat |
| た form (past) | 食べたパン | Bread (I) ate |
Important: Use the plain form, not ます form. ❌
食べますパン→ ✅ 食べるパン
They Can Get Long
The modifying part can be a full sentence:
明日学校で食べる日本のおいしいパン → The delicious Japanese bread (I'll) eat at school tomorrow
Breaking it down:
- 明日 → tomorrow
- 学校で → at school
- 食べる → will eat (modifies パン)
- 日本の → Japanese
- おいしい → delicious
- パン → bread
All these modifiers stack up before「パン」.
Practical Examples
Describing people
眼鏡をかけた人は私の姉です。 → The person wearing glasses is my older sister.
「眼鏡をかけた」(who put on glasses) modifies 「人」.
Describing places
駅の前にある喫茶店で会いましょう。 → Let's meet at the cafe in front of the station.
「駅の前にある」(that is in front of the station) modifies「喫茶店」.
Describing things
新宿で買ったものです。 → This is something (I) bought in Shinjuku.
「新宿で買った」(bought in Shinjuku) modifies「もの」.
Describing facts
牛肉を食べない人がたくさんいることです。 → There are many people who don't eat beef.
「牛肉を食べない」(who don't eat beef) modifies「人」.
Key Trap: は vs が Inside Modification Clauses
Inside a modification clause, use が for the subject, not は:
| Example | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ | 吉田さんが明日買うパソコン | The computer Yoshida will buy tomorrow |
| ❌ | は breaks the modification link |
Why? Because は marks a topic, which "cuts" the sentence at that point. Inside a modification clause, everything needs to connect tightly to the noun being modified, so only が works.
吉田さんが明日買うパソコンはこのタイプですか？ → Is the computer Yoshida is buying tomorrow this model?
Notice: が is used inside the modifying clause, while は marks the topic of the whole sentence.
連体修飾 vs 連用修飾
Japanese modification comes in two types:
| 連体修飾 (Noun mod.) | 連用修飾 (Verb mod.) | |
|---|---|---|
| Modifies | Nouns | Verbs / adjectives |
| Example | おいしいケーキ | 美味しく作る |
| Meaning | Delicious cake | Make (it) deliciously |
Compare these two sentences:
- 美味しいケーキを作りたい。 → I want to make a delicious cake. (美味しい modifies ケーキ = noun modification)
- 美味しくケーキを作りたい。 → I want to make the cake deliciously. (美味しく modifies 作る = verb modification)
The first emphasizes the cake itself being delicious; the second emphasizes the manner of making.
Self-Test
Q1. How do you say "the movie I watched yesterday" in Japanese?
Show answer
昨日見た映画
「昨日見た」(watched yesterday) modifies「映画」. The verb uses た form for past.
Q2. 「私が作った料理」vs「私は作った料理」— which is correct?
Show answer
私が作った料理. Inside modification clauses, the subject takes が, not は. は would break the modification link.
Q3. Combine these two sentences into one using a modification clause: 「あの人はメガネをかけています。あの人は田中さんです。」
Show answer
メガネをかけている人は田中さんです。
Put「メガネをかけている」(is wearing glasses) before「人」as a modifier, then complete the sentence with「人は田中さんです」.
Summary
- 連体修飾 = modifying nouns with words or clauses; modifiers always come before the noun
- Verbs use plain form (dictionary/ない/た form) to modify nouns
- Modification clauses can be very long — everything stacks before the noun
- Inside modification clauses, use が for subjects, not は
- Distinguish 連体修飾 (noun modification) from 連用修飾 (verb modification)