Minna no Nihongo Lesson 38: Nominalisation with の — JLPT N4 Grammar | Rirekisho Builder

Core idea of Lesson 38: Japanese often needs to turn an entire action or description into something that can behave like a noun. The particle の can do this. Once the phrase becomes noun-like, you can mark it with particles such as は, が, and を.

Lesson 38 at a glance

V plain + の

Turns an action into a noun-like idea: “doing…” / “the fact that…”

Vるのは + adjective

Describe an activity: “Doing X is difficult/fun/dangerous.”

Vるのが + adjective

Used with likes, dislikes, ability, skill, speed, and similar predicates.

Vるのを + verb

Treat the action as the object of another verb, such as “forget doing X.”

～のを知っていますか

Ask whether someone knows a fact or event.

～のは～です

Focus one part of a sentence: “The one/time/place that… is…”

1. の as a nominalizer

Plain-form clause + の

A nominalizer changes an action, event, or description into something that can behave like a noun. In English, this often corresponds to expressions such as:

doing something
the act of doing something
the fact that something happened
the thing/person/place connected with a description

Simple way to understand it:
食たべる = to eat
食たべるの = eating / the act of eating

After adding の, the whole phrase can take particles just like an ordinary noun: のは, のが, のを, etc.

の and こと

Both の and こと can nominalize a verb phrase.

日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうするのは楽たのしいです。

日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうすることは楽たのしいです。

Both can mean: “Studying Japanese is fun.”

Useful tendency: の often sounds more immediate, concrete, and conversational. こと often sounds more abstract or formal and appears frequently in written language. However, they are not freely interchangeable in every grammar pattern.

Important: do not replace こと with の inside fixed grammar patterns just because both can nominalize. For example, the standard ability expression is Vることができます, not normally Vるのができます with the same grammatical function.

Forms before の

Type	Form before の	Example
Verb	plain form	食たべるの / 食たべたの
い-adjective	plain form	忙いそがしいの
な-adjective	な + の	静しずかなの
Noun	な + の	学生がくせいなの

In this lesson, the most important use is with verbs: V plain + の.

2. Vるのは + adjective — “Doing X is…”

Verb dictionary form + のは + adjective / description

Use this pattern when an activity itself is the topic and you want to describe that activity.

Compare:
バレーボールは楽たのしいです。
Volleyball is fun.

バレーボールをするのは難むずかしいです。
Playing volleyball is difficult.

The first sentence talks about the noun “volleyball.” The second talks specifically about the activity of playing it.

バレーボールをするのは難むずかしいです。

Barēbōru o suru no wa muzukashii desu.

Playing volleyball is difficult.

バレーボールを見みるのは面白おもしろいです。

Barēbōru o miru no wa omoshiroi desu.

Watching volleyball is interesting.

Real-life examples

ラッシュアワーに会社かいしゃへ通かようのは大変たいへんです。

Commuting to work during rush hour is hard.

毎日まいにちお酒さけを飲のむのは体からだに悪わるいです。

Drinking alcohol every day is bad for your health.

寝ねる前まえにシャワーを浴あびるのは気持きもちがいいです。

Taking a shower before going to bed feels good.

運転うんてんしながら電話でんわをするのは危あぶないです。

Talking on the phone while driving is dangerous.

This pattern is extremely useful for opinions: “Working from home is convenient,” “Getting up early is difficult,” “Cooking for yourself is cheaper,” and so on.

3. Vるのが + adjective — likes, dislikes, skill, speed, etc.

Verb dictionary form + のが + adjective / predicate

Japanese commonly uses が with predicates such as:

好き — like

嫌い — dislike

上手 — good at

下手 — poor at

早い — quick/early

遅い — slow/late

If what you like, dislike, or are good at is an action, turn the action into a noun-like phrase with の and then add が.

私わたしは花はなを育そだてるのが好すきです。

Watashi wa hana o sodateru no ga suki desu.

I like growing flowers.

私わたしは海岸かいがんを散歩さんぽするのが好すきです。

I like taking walks along the seashore.

私わたしは負まけるのが嫌きらいです。

I hate losing.

パウロさんはうそをつくのが下手へたです。

Paulo is bad at telling lies.

パブロさんは朝あさ起おきるのが早はやいです。

Pablo gets up early in the morning.

のは vs のが

のは makes the activity the topic.

料理りょうりをするのは楽たのしいです。

Cooking is fun.

のが marks the activity as the thing connected to a predicate that naturally takes が.

料理りょうりをするのが好すきです。

I like cooking.

4. Vるのを忘れました — “forgot to do…”

Verb dictionary form + のを + 忘わすれました

The whole action becomes the object of 忘わすれます. That is why the nominalized clause is followed by を.

Compare:
鍵かぎを忘わすれました。 = I forgot the key.

ドアに鍵かぎをかけるのを忘わすれました。 = I forgot to lock the door.

In the second sentence, the “thing” forgotten is not a physical object; it is the action of locking the door.

ドアに鍵かぎをかけるのを忘わすれました。

I forgot to lock the door.

買かい物ものに行いきましたが、牛乳ぎゅうにゅうを買かうのを忘わすれました。

I went shopping, but I forgot to buy milk.

宿題しゅくだいをしましたが、今日きょう持もってくるのを忘わすれました。

I did my homework, but I forgot to bring it today.

You can use this pattern for many everyday mistakes: forgetting to send an email, turn off the lights, charge your phone, bring an umbrella, or reply to a message.

5. Plain clause + のを知っていますか — “Do you know that…?”

Plain-form clause + のを + 知しっていますか

Use this pattern when you ask whether somebody knows a fact, event, or situation.

Compare:

チュウさんのメールアドレスを知しっていますか。
Do you know Mr. Chu's email address?

Here, “email address” is already a noun, so no nominalizer is needed.

マリアさんに赤あかちゃんが生うまれたのを知しっていますか。
Do you know that Maria had a baby?

Here, the information is an entire event, so it is nominalized with の.

Examples

マリアさんに赤あかちゃんが生うまれたのを知しっていますか。

Do you know that Maria had a baby?

加藤かとうさんが来月らいげつ結婚けっこんするのを知しっていますか。

Do you know that Mr./Ms. Kato is getting married next month?

北川きたがわさんが入院にゅういんしているのを知しっていますか。

Do you know that Mr./Ms. Kitagawa is in the hospital?

アメリカでUFOが見みられたのを知しっていますか。

Do you know that a UFO was seen in the United States?

How to answer

Answer	Meaning / nuance
はい、知しっています。	Yes, I know.
いいえ、知しりません。	No, I don't know.
いいえ、知しりませんでした。	No, I didn't know that. Now I have learned it because you told me.

知しりませんでした。 is especially natural when the question itself has just given you new information. It means “I didn't know that before.”

6. ～のは～です — focusing “the one/time/place that…”

Plain-form clause + のは + N / description + です

This structure changes the focus of the sentence. Instead of simply describing a person or event, you first turn the descriptive clause into a noun-like topic with のは, then identify or explain it.

A useful English feeling is:
“The one who… is…”
“The place where… is…”
“The time when… was…”
“What I want is…”

Place / time / thing can be replaced by の

Birthplace

娘むすめは北海道ほっかいどうの小ちいさい町まちで生うまれました。

My daughter was born in a small town in Hokkaido.

娘むすめが生うまれたのは、北海道ほっかいどうの小ちいさい町まちです。

The place where my daughter was born is a small town in Hokkaido.

The busiest month

1年ねんで一番いちばん忙いそがしいのは 12月がつです。

The busiest month of the year is December.

The time an event happened

父ちちが亡なくなったのは 10年ねん前まえです。

It was ten years ago that my father died.

What I want

私わたしが欲ほしいのは、日本製にほんせいのスキンケア製品せいひんです。

What I want is skincare made in Japan.

な-adjectives and nouns before の

When a な-adjective or noun directly modifies this nominalized structure, use な.

BLACKPINKの中なかで一番いちばん好すきなのはリサです。

My favorite member of BLACKPINK is Lisa.

一番いちばんおすすめなのは豚骨とんこつラーメンです。

The dish I recommend most is tonkotsu ramen.

Common mistake:
❌ 好すきのは
✅ 好すきなのは

Because 好き is a な-adjective.

Using question words with ～のは

You can use question words such as いつ, どこ, だれ, and 何 to ask for the missing information.

新あたらしいビルができるのはいつですか。

When will the new building be completed?

次つぎのオリンピックが行おこなわれるのはどこですか。

Where will the next Olympics be held?

家いえの前まえに止とまっているのはだれの車くるまですか。

Whose car is the one parked in front of the house?

あなたの国くにのお土産みやげの中なかで一番いちばん有名ゆうめいなのは何なんですか。

What is the most famous souvenir in your country?

7. ～とき behaves like a noun

時とき means “time” or “when.” Grammatically, it behaves like a noun. Because of that, particles can follow it:

ときに

ときから

ときの

ときや

The particle tells you the relationship: に = at that time, から = from that time, の = of/from that time, や = times such as A and B.

ときや — listing occasions

疲つかれた時ときや寂さびしい時とき、家族かぞくを思おもい出だします。

I think of my family at times such as when I am tired or lonely.

ときから — from the time when…

生うまれた時ときから、ずっとニューヨークに住すんでいます。

I have lived in New York ever since I was born.

ときに — at the time when…

初はじめてヨーロッパへ行いった時ときに、一番いちばん楽たのしかったです。

The first time I went to Europe was the most enjoyable.

In many sentences, the particle に after とき can be omitted. Whether it is used depends on the sentence and the speaker's emphasis on the particular time.

ときの + noun — “the noun from when…”

卒業そつぎょうした時ときの写真しゃしんを見みつけました。

I found photos from when I graduated / graduation photos.

This construction is very common: 子供こどもの時ときの写真しゃしん = a photo from when I was a child, 旅行りょこうした時ときの思おもい出で = memories from when I traveled.

8. Extra: choosing は, が, or を after の

Pattern	Role	Example
Vるのは	The action is the topic.	早はやく起おきるのは大変たいへんです。
Vるのが	The action is marked by が for a predicate such as 好き or 上手.	料理りょうりするのが好すきです。
Vるのを	The action is the object of another verb.	薬くすりを飲のむのを忘わすれました。

Do not memorize “のは,” “のが,” and “のを” as three unrelated grammar points. The important part is: の turns the clause into a noun-like unit, and the next particle gives that unit its role in the larger sentence.

9. Common mistakes

Mistake 1 — keeping ます before の
❌ 食たべますのは
✅ 食たべるのは

Use a plain form before the nominalizer.

Mistake 2 — forgetting な with な-adjectives
❌ 好すきのはリサです。
✅ 好すきなのはリサです。

Mistake 3 — using は with 好き just because English says “I like…”
✅ 花はなを育そだてるのが好すきです。
好き normally takes が for the thing/action liked.

Mistake 4 — confusing 知りません and 知りませんでした
知しりません。 = I don't know.
知しりませんでした。 = I didn't know that before.

Mistake 5 — thinking の always literally means “thing”
Depending on context, の may represent an action, fact, time, place, person, or thing. Translate the whole sentence naturally, not word by word.

10. Real-life mini conversations

Talking about hobbies

A：休やすみの日ひは何なにをしますか。

A: What do you do on your days off?

B：海うみの近ちかくを歩あるくのが好すきです。

B: I like walking near the sea.

Forgetting something important

A：今日きょうの会議かいぎの資料しりょうは？

A: Where are the documents for today's meeting?

B：すみません。印刷いんさつするのを忘わすれました。

B: Sorry. I forgot to print them.

Sharing news

A：佐藤さとうさんが会社かいしゃを辞やめるのを知しっていますか。

A: Do you know that Sato is leaving the company?

B：いいえ、知しりませんでした。

B: No, I didn't know that.

11. Quick cheat sheet

Grammar	Meaning	Example
Vるのは～	Doing V is...	泳およぐのは楽たのしいです。
Vるのが～	Like/dislike/be good at doing V, etc.	泳およぐのが好すきです。
Vるのを忘れる	Forget to do V	電話でんわするのを忘わすれました。
～のを知っていますか	Do you know that...?	結婚けっこんするのを知しっていますか。
～のは～です	The one/time/place that... is...	行いくのは明日あしたです。
～とき + particle	at/from/of times when...	卒業そつぎょうした時ときの写真しゃしん

12. Practice

A. Choose は, が, or を

日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうするの（　）楽たのしいです。
料理りょうりするの（　）好すきです。
薬くすりを飲のむの（　）忘わすれました。

B. Turn the sentences into nominalized expressions

早はやく起おきます。 → “Getting up early is difficult.”
写真しゃしんを撮とります。 → “I like taking photos.”
メールを送おくります。 → “I forgot to send the email.”

早はやく起おきるのは難むずかしいです。
写真しゃしんを撮とるのが好すきです。
メールを送おくるのを忘わすれました。

C. Translate into Japanese

Watching movies is interesting.
I like cooking.
I forgot to lock the door.
Do you know that Tanaka is getting married?
The place where I was born is Osaka.
I found a photo from when I was a child.

Sample answers — other natural wordings are also correct.

映画えいがを見みるのは面白おもしろいです。
料理りょうりするのが好すきです。
ドアに鍵かぎをかけるのを忘わすれました。
田中たなかさんが結婚けっこんするのを知しっていますか。
私わたしが生うまれたのは大阪おおさかです。
子供こどもの時ときの写真しゃしんを見みつけました。

13. Final memory rule

食たべる → 食たべるの

First, use の to turn “eat” into the noun-like idea “eating.”

食たべるのは…

Make “eating” the topic.

食たべるのが…

Use “eating” with a predicate that takes が.

食たべるのを…

Make “eating” the object of another verb. If you understand this relationship, Lesson 38 becomes much easier than memorizing every pattern separately.