Japanese Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Japanese language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I came across this sentence in the Japanese Try! book and I could not make out of it why の was used, what was the purpose. I understand の can act as a modifier but 日本ん on it's own is already a noun.
日本のはちょっと高いですが、とてもいいです。
Just saying 日本はちょと高いですが、とてもいいです is more straightforward and simpler. I don't get what の adds.
Thanks!
Great question.
Let's start with your more straightforward and simpler sentence.
日本はちょと高いですが、...
This says
As for Japan, it's a bit expensive....
where it means Japan.
But that's not what the original sentence is saying. The original sentence is
日本のはちょっと高いですが、
which can be translated as
The Japanese one is a bit expensive,...
There is context that is missing here. There is something that's being talked about. Perhaps it's a nice sweater, セーター, you like and you have a choice between a variety of sweaters one of which is Japanese. So, the sentence could have been
日本のセーターはちょっと高いですが
But if it's already understood that you're talking about sweaters, you can omit セーター and just say 日本の, the Japanese one.
