Particle
| A sentence-final particle used by a female or a child to indicate an explanation or emotive emphasis. | It is that ~ |
| 【Related Expression: のだ】 |
(ksa). A:どうして泣いているの？ B:お母さんがいないの。
A: How come you are crying? B: 'Cause mommy's gone.
(ksb). あの人はとても優しいの。
He is so gentle, you know.
(ksc). 母はまだとても元気なの。
My mother is still quite fine.
(ksb). 主人はエンジニアなの。
My husband is an engineer.
| (i){V/Adjective い} informal | の | |
| {話す /話した}の | Someone talks/talked | |
| {食べる /食べた}の | Someone eats/ate | |
| {大きい /大きかった}の | Something is/was big | |
| (ii){Adjective な stem/ Noun} | {なだった}の | |
| {静かな/ 静かだった}の | Something is/was quiet | |
| {先生な/ 先生だった}の | Someone is/was a teacher |
(a). A:どうして食べないの？ B:お腹(が)空いて(い)ないの。
A: How come you don't eat it? B: 'Cause I'm not hungry.
(b). A:どうしたの？ B:頭が痛いの。
A: What's the matter with you? B: I have a headache.
(c). うちの子はまだ小学生なの。
My child is still in grade school.
(d). 大学はプリンストンだったの。
My university was Princeton.
1. The sentence-final の is derived from のだ/のです through deletion of だ/です.
2. This の is used by females or children only in an informal situation. There are times when adult male speakers use の in questions, as in Examples (a) and (b), but they do not use it in declarative sentences, as in Examples (c) and (d).
【Related Expression】
The sentence-final particle の4 is the same in its meaning as の of のだ.
(⇨ のだ)