35 Verb-Adjectival Modification

Modify nouns

using the attributive form to modify nouns (nouns are also referred to as substantives). Do you remember the usage pattern we previously learned: noun + noun / adjective + noun / verbal noun + noun? Let's review some example sentences."

日本の文化
Japanese culture

友達の家
friend's house

青い車
blue car

大きな家
big house

This section is going to focus on examining the usage of verb modification in attributive form.

Verb Modifying Noun

Here's the grammar structure in English:

Verb (Fourth Variation, Attributive Form) + Noun

In Japanese grammar, the concept of "verb modification" or "verb modifying a noun" refers to using the 連体形 (rentaikei), or the "attributive form," of a verb to modify a noun. The 連体形 (rentaikei) is a non-conjugated form of the verb that is often used to connect the verb to other parts of speech, such as nouns.

When a verb is used in its 連体形 (rentaikei) form to modify a noun, it describes a state or action related to that noun. This construction allows for a more nuanced expression of actions or states associated with the noun being modified.

分かる人
person who understands

書く人
person who writes

走る犬
"a dog that runs" (literally: "the dog that runs")