Ongaku o kiku no ga sukidesu
Nominalizing verbs and adjectives
In Japanese, the nominalization of verbs and adjectives involves converting them into nouns using the particles “no” and “koto”. Both “no” and “koto” mean “thing” and function as nouns, allowing verbs and adjectives to be treated as nouns within sentences. This process is essential for creating complex sentences and expressing nuanced ideas.
| Verb | i-adjective | Noun-adjective |
|---|---|---|
| short affirmative + “no” (koto) | short affirmative + “no” (koto) | short affirmative + na + “no” (koto) |
Nominalizing Verbs
To nominalize a verb, you can add either “koto” or “no” after the short affirmative form of the verb. This transforms the verb into a noun-like structure.
- Using “koto”:
- “koto” is often used in formal contexts and written language.
- Example: “taberu koto ga suki desu” – “I like eating” or “I like to eat.”
- Here, “taberu” is the short affirmative form of “to eat,” and “koto” nominalizes it to mean “the act of eating.”
- Using “no”:
- “no” is more colloquial and commonly used in spoken language.
- Example: “hon o yomu no ga tanoshii desu” – “Reading books is fun.”
- In this case, “yomu” is the short affirmative form of “to read,” and “no” nominalizes it to mean “the act of reading.”
hataraku >>> hatarakukoto, hatarakuno
hashiru >>> hashiruno, hashirukoto
ryouri o suru >>> ryouri o suruno, ryouri o surukoto
miru >>> miruno, mirukoto
Nominalizing i-adjective
To nominalize an i-adjective, you can add either “koto” or “no” after the short affirmative form of the i-adjective. This transforms the i-adjective into a noun-like structure. You can also nominalize i-adjectives by replacing “i” with “sa”, which you will learn later.
yasashii >>> yasashiino
amai >>> amaino
muzukashii >>> muzukashiino, muzukaishiikoto
Nominalizing noun-adjective
To nominalize an noun-adjective, you can add “na” then either “koto” or “no” after the short affirmative form of the noun-adjective. This transforms the noun-adjective into a noun-like structure.
kantan >>> kantan na koto
isshoukenmei >>> isshoukenmei na koto
kirei >>> kirei na no
Like to do, love to do (…no ga sukidesu)
You have learned that “suki desu” is used to describe “like” in Japanese. To say that you like doing something, you need to nominalize the verb. This can be done by using the particles “no” or “koto”. After nominalizing the verb, you can add “…ga suki desu” to express that you like that action.
While both “no” and “koto” can be used, “no” is preferred in most conversational contexts because it sounds more natural and casual.
doraibu suru no ga sukidesu. *doraibusuru (drive)
shuumatsu ni doraibusuru no ga sukidesu. *shuumatsu (weekend)
shuumatsu ni kawaguchiko o doraibusuru no ga sukidesu. *kawaguchiko (lake kawaguchi)
shuumatsu ni kawaguchiko o kanojo to doraibusuru no ga sukidesu.
good at …, not good at… (…no ga umaidesu, hetadesu)
In Japanese, to express that someone is good at or not good at doing something, you can combine nominalized verbs with “umai desu” and “heta desu”. Similar to expressing likes.
…no ga umaidesu, …no ga jouzudesu (good at …)
…no ga hetadesu, …no ga nigatedesu (not good at …)
doraibusuru no ga umaidesu
doraibusuru no ga hetadesu