I always get confused when it comes to the の particle. I have seen many words spelt with it and without it but I don’t know when I should and shouldn’t.
I know it can be omitted for simplicity in certain documents but is there any specific rule?
For example, would Japanese Class be spelt as 日本語クラス or 日本語のクラス.
Does it not matter and if it does why?
2 comments
Well, look at it this way. This would be the difference between ‘Japanese class’ and ‘class of Japanese (language)’. It’s not really wrong, per se, but you’re doing two different things here. 日本語クラス is using two nouns to form a larger compound. の doesn’t form compounds, it’s something called ‘genitive’, a.k.a. ‘possessive’, so called because one thing ‘belongs’ to the other, so to speak. You absolutely can use that to say this, in the sense that it is a ‘class of Japanese’, but not a ‘Japanese class’ as a single, combined compound.
It’s not quite that exact nuance, mind. The problem is just that ‘Japanese’ is simultaneously the subject and possessive forms of Japanese (the language), so it’s a bugger to explain the difference in English.
I would also point out that クラス is specifically the group which makes up the class, while the idea of the content/what is taught is 授業. So クラスはどう is asking something similar to “how are the people in the class?” (Is the group dynamic good?) While 授業はどう is “how is the class?” (Do you find it difficult, easy, fun, etc.)
I’m not sure about 日本語クラス because I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, Using 授業, if you wanted to say “Japanese class,” I’m fairly certain it needs to be 日本語の授業. I’ve never heard 日本語授業