The One That... with の

Learn how の can replace an understood noun, creating natural expressions like 'the red one' or 'the one I bought yesterday.'

Use の to stand in for a noun that is already understood from context.Build expressions such as adjective + の and clause + の.Avoid confusing substitute の with explanatory の.

Guided study

Core idea

When the noun is obvious from context, の can replace it. This is similar to saying 'the one' in English.

赤いのがほしいです。

I want the red one.

の stands for an understood noun like かばん or シャツ.

昨日買ったのはこれです。

The one I bought yesterday is this.

A relative clause can also come before substitute の.

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Japanese grammar lessons

Use the Japanese grammar lessons guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

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