Japanese Grammar: のは〜だ (No wa ~ da) – Emphasis and Focus Sentences

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Japanese Grammar: のは〜だ (No wa ~ da) – Emphasis and Focus Sentences
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘The one that…’, ‘The thing that…’, ‘It is X that…’

🎯 Primary Function

To create focus/cleft sentences that emphasize a specific noun or reason.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (plain form) + のは + [Noun] + だ/です
い-adjective (dictionary form) + のは + [Noun] + だ/です
な-adjective + な + のは + [Noun] + だ/です
Verb/Adjective (negative form) + のは + [Noun] + だ/です

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Common in presentations or reports to highlight specific data points or results.

😊 Informal Situations

Used daily to clarify misunderstandings or state strong personal opinions.

✍️ Written Language

Used in essays and stories to direct the reader’s attention to a specific detail.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequent in conversations for natural emphasis.

💡 Common Applications

Emphasizing a Subject
Used to clarify exactly who or what performed an action when that information is the main point.
Example: この手紙を書いたのは私です。 (It was I who wrote this letter.)
Explaining Reasons
Used to focus on the ‘why’ of a situation by putting the reason at the end of the sentence.
Example: 遅れたのは、雨が降っていたからです。 (The reason I was late is because it was raining.)
Defining Preferences
Used to specify a particular object or desire out of many possibilities.
Example: 私が欲しいのは新しい車です。 (What I want is a new car.)
📊
Frequency
Very High
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
私が好きなのは、日本料理です。
Furigana: わたしがすきなのは、にほんりょうりです。
Romaji: Watashi ga suki na no wa, nihon ryouri desu.
English: What I like is Japanese food.
Example #2
明日行くのは、京都です。
Furigana: あしたいくのは、きょうとです。
Romaji: Ashita iku no wa, Kyouto desu.
English: The place I’m going tomorrow is Kyoto.
Example #3
一番大切なのは、健康です。
Furigana: いちばんたいせつなのは、けんこうです。
Romaji: Ichiban taisetsu na no wa, kenkou desu.
English: The most important thing is health.
Example #4
彼が遅れたのは、バスが来なかったからです。
Furigana: かれがおくれたのは、バスがこなかったからです。
Romaji: Kare ga okureta no wa, basu ga konakatta kara desu.
English: The reason he was late is because the bus didn’t come.
Example #5
昨日買ったのは、この本です。
Furigana: きのうかったのは、このほんです。
Romaji: Kinou katta no wa, kono hon desu.
English: What I bought yesterday was this book.
Example #6
それを言ったのは、田中さんです。
Furigana: それをいったのは、たなかさんです。
Romaji: Sore o itta no wa, Tanaka-san desu.
English: It was Tanaka-san who said that.
Example #7
覚えるのが難しいのは、漢字です。
Furigana: おぼえるのがむずかしいのは、かんじです。
Romaji: Oboeru no ga muzukashii no wa, Kanji desu.
English: The thing that is hard to memorize is Kanji.
Example #8
日本に来たのは、勉強するためです。
Furigana: にほんにきたのは、べんきょうするためです。
Romaji: Nihon ni kita no wa, benkyou suru tame desu.
English: The reason I came to Japan is to study.
Example #9
彼が住んでいるのは、東京の小さなアパートだ。
Furigana: かれがすんでいるのは、とうきょうのちいさなアパートだ。
Romaji: Kare ga sunde iru no wa, Toukyou no chiisana apaato da.
English: Where he lives is a small apartment in Tokyo.
Example #10
彼女にプレゼントをあげたのは、昨日です。
Furigana: かのじょにプレゼントをあげたのは、きのうです。
Romaji: Kanojo ni purezento o ageta no wa, kinou desu.
English: It was yesterday that I gave her the present.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Nominalization function
The word ‘no’ acts as a nominalizer, turning the preceding clause into a noun phrase that functions as the subject.
Example: 学校へ行くのは、明日です。 (The time I’m going to school is tomorrow.)
Matching with Nouns/Clauses
When the focused information at the end is also a verb phrase, you must nominalize it with ‘koto’ or ‘no’.
Example: 私が嫌いなのは、嘘をつくことです。 (What I hate is lying.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ きれいのは (Kirei no wa)
✅ きれいなのは (Kirei na no wa)
Na-adjectives require ‘na’ before ‘no’ to nominalize the phrase.
❌ ここにありますのは (Koko ni arimasu no wa)
✅ ここにあるのは (Koko ni aru no wa)
You must use the plain form of the verb before ‘no wa’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral; depends on whether you end with ‘da’ (informal) or ‘desu’ (polite).
Social Situations: Very useful for clarifying information when someone asks ‘Who?’, ‘When?’, or ‘Why?’.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

~のは vs ~のが
‘no wa’ introduces a topic for emphasis at the end; ‘no ga’ usually marks the nominalized clause as the direct subject of a predicate like ‘suki’ or ‘heta’.
When to use: Use ‘no wa’ when you want to answer ‘Which one/What exactly?’. Use ‘no ga’ for simple descriptions like ‘I like (doing X)’.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Always use plain forms (dictionary, -ta, -nai) before ‘no’. Na-adjectives must use ‘na’. Nouns are rarely used before ‘no wa’ in this specific structure (instead, use ‘X wa Y da’).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Ensure a slight pause after ‘no wa’ to let the emphasis on the following noun land effectively.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘no’ as a ‘placeholder’ for the word ‘the thing’ or ‘the person’. ‘The thing that I like is…’ = ‘Suki na [no] wa…’

Other Grammar

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