Have you ever read a long sentence in Japanese and gotten lost halfway through?
This is often due to one main reason and its consequences:
Warning you in advance! This is a long post.
Here's an overview of the topics we'll be covering:
Embedded clauses are one of the biggest stumbling blocks that learners of Japanese encounter when they try their hand at reading slightly more articulate texts.
In this post, I'll explain what embedded clauses are, and how they work within a sentence.
The entire post will be accompanied by concrete examples, sorted in order of difficulty.
At the end of the post we will also try our hand at analyzing some authentic sentences that present these characteristics.
Regardless of your level, I hope this post helps you get a better sense of how embedded clauses in Japanese sentences work.
Are you ready? Off we go!
What Are Embedded Clauses?
An "embedded clause" can be defined as a clause that is inside another clause. Such clauses are usually part of more complex sentences.
In the example above, "who lives nearby" and "that I received from my sister" are embedded clauses.
Specifically, they are "relative clauses" and refer to the nouns that follow them:
近所に住んでいる → 友人
kinjo ni sunde iru → yūjin
neighborhood | in | to-be-living → friend
(a) FRIEND ← (who) lives nearby
姉からもらった → 本
ane kara moratta → hon
elder sister | from | received → book
(the) BOOK ← (that) I got from my elder sister
In English, relative clauses usually come immediately after the noun they describe. Their function is to provide more information about that noun.
For this post, I'm assuming you know that in Japanese, the basic word order in a sentence is subject - object - verb, so I won't go into detail about that.
I’m sure you also know that two or more clauses can be connected through various means, such as conjunctive particles (が ga - but、ので node - since, etc.) or the so-called -te form of verbs and adjectives:
朝ご飯を食べます。学校に行きます。
asa gohan o tabemasu || gakkō ni ikimasu
morning meal | obj. | eat || school | to | go
I eat breakfast. I go to school.
朝ご飯を食べて、学校に行きます。
asa gohan o tabete, gakkō ni ikimasu.
morning meal | obj. | eat-and | school | to | go
I eat breakfast and (then) go to school.
今日はとても寒いです。
出かけません。
kyō wa totemo samui desu || dekakemasen
today | as-for | very | cold | be || do not go out
It's very cold today. I won't go out.
今日はとても寒いので、
出かけません。
kyō wa totemo samui node, dekakemasen
today | as-for | very | cold | be | since |
do not go out
I'm not going out because it's too cold today.
今日はとても寒くて、
出かけません。
kyō wa totemo samukute, dekakemasen
today | as-for | very | cold | be-and |
do not go out
It's very cold today, so I won't go out.
However, this basic form of a sentence can be altered through embedded clauses so that more information is added to the message.
The Two Types Of Embedded Clauses
There are two ways to add "embedded clauses" into a sentence in Japanese.
Let's see them below one by one:
Noun Modification
Noun modification is used to provide additional information about any noun that appears in a sentence.
Take, for example, the following English sentences:
John read a BOOK.
John read an [interesting] BOOK.
John read an [interesting] BOOK
[about animals].
In this case, we added details (square brackets) about the type of book John read.
We can also add details about John, and so we'll have:
[My friend] JOHN read an [interesting] BOOK [about animals].
JOHN, [a dear old friend from college], read an [interesting] BOOK
[about animals].
In Japanese, additional information about a noun (i.e. 'relative clause') is added before the noun itself.
In the following examples, I will start with showing you a simple noun and gradually add new elements.
本
hon
(a) book
面白い → 本
omoshiroi → hon
(an) interesting book
Let's now put the word "book" into a sentence:
田中さんは
本を
読みました。
Tanaka-san wa
hon o
yomimashita
Mr Tanaka | as-for |
book | (obj.) |
read
Mr Tanaka read a book.
The constituent parts of this sentence are:
( 田中さん) は
(本) を
(読みました)。
( Tanaka-san ) wa
( hon ) o
( yomimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( book ) | obj. |
( read )
Mr Tanaka read a book.
We can now provide more information about the type of book Tanaka read. For example, "an interesting book," or a "book about animals."
( 田中さん ) は
( [ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( Tanaka-san ) wa
( [ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ interesting ] → book ) | obj. |
( read )
Tanaka san read an interesting book.
( 田中さん ) は
( [ 動物に関する ] +
[ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( Tanaka-san ) wa
( [ dōbutsu ni kan suru] +
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ] → book ) | obj. |
( read )
Tanaka san read an interesting book about animals.
Before continuing, I will spare a few words on the symbols used in the analysis:
( ) Round brackets delimit a basic unit in a sentence. These basic units can contain other sub-units that modify them.
[ ] Square brackets contain sub-units within a bigger unit.
→ This arrow indicates a relation between a group of sub-units and the noun following it.
> This arrow indicates a relation between a sub-unit and another sub-unit or element in the sentence following it.
+ This indicates a series of sub-units in a row.
It sounds complicated, but you'll see how the function of each symbol will become clearer as you read on.
Now, getting back to our sample sentence, what kind of animals are we talking about? Let's say, “wild animals” or even “endangered animals”. So, we’ll have:
( 田中さん ) は ( [ 野生 ] >
[ 動物に関する] +
[ 面白い ] → 本) を
( 読みました )。
( Tanaka-san ) wa ( [ yasei ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] + [ omoshiroi ]
→ hon ) o ( yomimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for | ( [ wild ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ]→ book ) | obj. |
( read )
Tanaka san read an interesting book on wild animals.
( 田中さん ) は
( [ 絶滅の危機に瀕している] >
[ 動物に関する ] +
[ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( Tanaka-san ) wa
( [ zetsumetsu no kiki ni hin shite iru ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] +
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the verge ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ] → book ) | obj. |
( read )
Tanaka san read an interesting book on endangered animals.
We can expand this "embedded clause" even more, by adding additional information about endangered animals:
( 田中さん ) は、
( [ 今でも話題になっている ] >
[ 絶滅の危機に瀕している ] >
[ 動物 に関する ] +
[ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( Tanaka-san ) wa,
( [ ima demo wadai ni natte iru ] >
[ zetsumetsu no kiki ni hin shite iru ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] >
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita ).
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ now | even | to-be-talked-about ] >
[ extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the verge ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ] → book ) | obj. |
( read )
Mr Tanaka has read an interesting book about endangered animals,
which is a topic that is still much discussed.
So far, we have added information about the book Mr Tanaka read. Let's now add details about Mr Tanaka.
For example, we could add who Mr Tanaka is:
( [ 私の同僚である ]
→ 田中さん ) は、
( [ 今でも話題になっている ] >
[ 絶滅の危機に瀕している ] >
[ 動物に関する ] +
[ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( [ watashi no dōryō dearu ]
→ Tanaka-san ) wa,
( [ ima demo wadai ni natte iru ] >
[ zetsumetsu no kiki ni hin shite iru ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] +
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita ).
( [ my | colleague | to-be ]
→ Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ now | even | to-be-talked-about ] >
[ extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the verge ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ]→ book ) | obj. |
( read )
Mr Tanaka, who is a colleague of mine, has read an interesting book about endangered animals, which is a topic that is still much discussed.
And again, we could add where Mr. Tanaka and I work:
( [ 東京大学の ] >
[ 私の同僚の一人である ]
→ 田中さん ) は、
( [ 今でも話題になっている ] >
[ 絶滅の危機に瀕している ] >
[ 動物に関する ] +
[ 面白い ]→ 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( [ tōkyō daigaku no ] >
[ watashi no dōryō no hitori dearu ]
→ Tanaka-san ) wa,
( [ ima demo wadai ni natte iru ] >
[ zetsumetsu no kiki ni hin shite iru ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] +
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita ).
( [ Tokyo | University | of ] >
[ my | colleague | of | one-person | to-be ]
→ Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ now | even | to-be-talked-about ] >
[ extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the verge ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ]→ book ) | obj. |
( read )
Mr Tanaka, one of my colleagues at Tokyo University, has read an interesting book about endangered animals, which is a topic that is still much discussed.
And finally, for those not familiar with Tokyo University, let's also add that Tokyo University is one of the most famous colleges in Japan.
All of these details, of course, go before "Mr. Tanaka”:
( [ 日本で最も
有名な大学とされている ] >
[ 東京大学の ] >
[ 同僚の一人である ]
→ 田中さん ) は、
( [ 今でも話題になっている] >
[ 絶滅の危機に瀕している ] >
[ 動物に関する ] +
[ 面白い ] → 本 ) を
( 読みました )。
( [ Nihon de mottomo
yūmei na daigaku to sarete iru ] >
[ Tōkyō daigaku no ] >
[ dōryō no hitori dearu ]
→ Tanaka-san ) wa,
( [ ima demo wadai ni natte iru ] >
[ zetsumetsu no kiki ni hin shite iru ] >
[ dōbutsu ni kan suru ] +
[ omoshiroi ] → hon ) o
( yomimashita ).
( [ Japan | in | the-most |
famous | university | to-be-regarded-as ] >
[ Tokyo | University | of ] >
[ my | colleague | of | one-person | to-be ]
→ Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( [ now | even | to-be-talked-about ] >
[ extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the verge ] >
[ animals | about ] +
[ interesting ] → book ) | obj. |
( read )
Mr Tanaka, one of my colleagues at Tokyo University, which is considered the most famous university in Japan, has read an interesting book about endangered animals,
which is a topic that is still much discussed.
We'll stop here because the sentence has already gotten long enough, but I think you should now have an idea of how noun modification works.
As you may have noticed, embedded clauses are always added after the noun they refer to in English (apart from adjectives that come before), whereas in Japanese both adjectives and embedded clauses come before the noun.
Let’s now move on to the other type of embedded clause:
Quotation
“Quotation” is used to report what a person has said or expressed.
Tanaka said that he wants to read that book.
In English, we use the word "that" to introduce the content of Tanaka's wish.
The grammatical term for this construction is "indirect speech," as opposed to “direct speech” where we quote the exact words the person said.
Tanaka said: “I want to read that book!”
In Japanese, the particle と (to) is used, followed by various verbs such as "to say", "to declare", "to urge", etc. The content of the message comes before the verb.
Also, the content of the message is quoted without changing anything. It’s like quoting the exact words the person said.
Let's see how to build the sentence above starting with the main clause and then inserting the quoted sentence.
( 田中さん ) は
( …) >
と( 言いました ) 。
( Tanaka san ) wa
( …) >
to( iimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
(....) >
that |( said )
Mr Tanaka said that (...).
( その本を読みたい )
( sono hon o yomitai )
( that | book | (obj.) | want-to-read )
"I want to read that book"
( 田中さん ) は
( その本を読みたい ) >
と( 言いました )。
( Tanaka san ) wa
( sono hon o yomitai ) >
to( iimashita )
( Mr Tanaka ) | as-for |
( that | book | obj. | want-to-read ) >
that |( said )
Tanaka said he wants to read that book.
Let's look at a slightly longer sentence:
( 首相 ) は
(...) >
と( 発表しました ) 。
( shushō ) wa
(...) >
to( happyō shimashita )
( prime minister ) | as-for |
(...) >
that |( announced )
The prime minister announced that (...)
( その分野の専門家と協力して
犯罪対策を講じる )
( sono bun'ya no senmonka to kyōryoku shite
hanzai taisaku o kōjiru )
( that | field | of | experts | with |
working-together-and |
crime | prevention measures | obj. |
to come up with )
"I’ll work with experts in the field to take measures against crime"
( 首相 )は
( その分野の専門家と協力して
犯罪対策を講じる ) →
と( 発表しました )。
( shushō ) wa
( sono bun'ya no senmonka to kyōryoku shite
hanzai taisaku o kōjiru ) →
to ( happyō shimashita ).
( prime minister ) | as-for |
( that | field | of | experts | with |
working-together-and |
crime | prevention measures | obj. |
come up with ) →
that |( announced )
The prime minister announced that he would work with experts in that field
to take measures against crime.
Other Structures Similar To Quotation
This structure works like a quotation, but is used when we need to define something:
( [ 鷹 ] > という [ 鳥 ] )
( [ taka ] > to iu [ tori ] )
( [ hawk ] > called | [ bird ] )
A bird called a “hawk”
( [「絶滅の危機に
瀕している動物」] >
という [ 本 ] )
( [ ‘zetsumetsu no kiki ni
hin shite iru dōbutsu’ ] >
to iu [ hon ] )
( [ ‘extinction | of | danger |
to-be-on-the-verge | animals’ ] >
called | [ book ] )
The book "Animals on the Verge of Extinction”
When ～という (to iu) is used before こと (koto / thing or fact), we get the pattern ～ということ (to iu koto) which can literally be translated as “the fact that”.
The purpose of こと (koto) is to nominalize (ie 'to make into a noun') the clause that comes before it. The resulting clause can then be used as the subject (followed by が / ga), the object (followed by を / o), or the topic (followed by は / wa) of a sentence.
Just two examples here:
( [ 彼が死んだ ] >
という [ こと ] ) を
( 聞きました )。
( [ kare ga shinda ] > to iu [ koto ] )
( kikimashita )
( [ he | (subj.) | died ] | >
that | [fact] ) | (obj.) |
( heard )
I have heard that he is dead.
( [ 子供たちは
そういうゲームが好きだ ] >
という [ こと ] ) を
( [ 経験から ] + [ 知っている ] )。
( [ kodomo-tachi wa
sō iu gēmu ga suki da ] >
to iu [ koto ] ) o
( [ keiken kara ] + [ shitte iru ] )
( [ childrens | as-for |
that kind of | games | subj.)|
are-enjoyable ] >
that | [ fact ] | obj. |
[ experience | from ] + [ know ] )
I know from experience that children like that kind of games.
Used along with the verb 思う (omou - to think), と (to) is used to "quote" a thought:
( 私 ) は
(...) > と
( 思いました )。
( watashi ) wa
(...) >
to ( omoimashita )
( I/myself ) | as-for |
(...) >
that | ( thought )
I thought that (...).
( 私 )は
( その本を読みたい ) >
と ( 思いました )。
( watashi ) wa ( sono hon o yomitai ) >
to ( omoimashita ).
( I/myself ) | [ as-for |
( that | book | obj. | want-to-read ) >
that | ( thought )
I thought that I wanted to read that book.
Let's expand this sentence a bit by adding another clause:
( 私 ) は
( その本を読みたい ) >
と ( 思って )、
( [ 本屋へ] +
[ 買いに ] +
[ 行きました] )。
( watashi ) wa
( sono hon o yomitai ) >
to ( omotte ),
( [ hon'ya e ] +
[kai ni ] +
[ ikimashita ] )
( I/myself ) | as-for |
( that | book | (obj.) | want-to-read ) >
that | ( thought-and ) |
[ bookstore | to ] +
[ to-buy ] +
[ went ] )
I thought I would like to read that book,
so I went to the bookstore to buy it.
Let's Put What We've Learned Into Practice!
In this last section, we will practice what we have learned about "embedded clauses" by analyzing some random sentences taken from Japanese Wikipedia and other sources.
To further assist you, a translation (in more natural English) and a vocabulary list will be provided before the break-down of each sentence.
SAMPLE SENTENCE 1
Photo by Gilly on Unsplash
It is very annoying that Japanese politicians are constantly making careless remarks that arouse criticism overseas.
不用意な発言をして外国で物議をかもす日本の政治家が絶えないということはまことに困ったことだ。
fuyōi na hatsugen o shite gaikoku de butsugi o kamosu Nihon no seijika ga taenai to iu koto wa makotoni komatta koto da.
careless | remarks | obj. | to-make-and | overseas | in/at | to-arouse-criticism | Japan | of | politicians | subj. | do-not-stop | the-fact-that | truly | something annoying | to-be
Literal translation:
The fact that Japanese politicians that make careless remarks and arouse criticism overseas don’t stop is truly something annoying.
Can you identify the basic structure of this sentence? Where are the "embedded clauses"?
Let's break it down starting with its basic structure, and then see what parts are added to provide more detail:
Basic structure:
( [...] > という [ こと ] )は (...) だ
( [...] > to iu [ koto ] ) wa (....) da
( [...] > that | [fact ] ) | as-for | (...) | to-be
The fact that (....) is (....)
Main units:
( [ 日本の政治家が絶えない ] >
という [ こと ] )は
( [ 困った ] > [こと ] ) だ。
( [ nihon no seijika ga taenai ] >
to iu [ koto ] ) wa
( [ komatta > [ koto ] ) da
( [ Japanese | politicians | subj. |
do-not-stop ] >
that | [ fact ] ) | as-for |
( [ annoying ] > [something ] ) | to-be
The fact that Japanese politicians
don’t stop is something annoying.
The “embedded clause” (or better said, “relative clause”) added to “Japanese politicians” to express what they exactly do is:
[ 不用意な発言をして
外国で物議をかもす ] >
[ 日本の政治家 ]
[ fuyōi na hatsugen o shite
gaikoku de butsugi o kamosu ] >
[ Nihon no seijika ]
[ careless | remarks | obj. | to-make-and |
overseas | in/at | to-arouse-criticism ] >
[ Japan | of | politicians ]
Japanese politicians that make careless
remarks and arouse criticism overseas.
The word used to modify “komatta koto” (lit. “something annoying”) is:
[ まことに ] > [ 困った ] > [ こと ]
[ makoto ni ] > [ komatta ] > [ koto ]
[ truly ] > [ annoying ] > [ something ]
Something truly annoying
And now, the bigger picture:
( [ 不用意な発言をして
外国で物議をかもす] >
[ 日本の政治家が絶えない ] >
という [ こと ] ) は
( [ まことに ] >
[ 困った ] > [ こと ] ) だ。
As you can see, the main constituents of the sentence (those in round brackets) are modified by additional sub-constituents, just like in a Russian doll.
Let’s now work on a more complex sentence:
SAMPLE SENTENCE 2
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it will gradually adjust production at 9 of its 15 plants in Japan, including those of its group companies, in the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures with an intensity of over 6 on the Japanese scale.
トヨタ自動車は今月13日に福島県と宮城県で震度6強の激しい揺れを観測した地震の影響で、グループの企業を含む国内15の工場のうち、9つの工場で順次、生産調整を行うと発表しました。
Toyota Jidōsha wa kongetsu jūsan-nichi ni Fukushima-ken to Miyagi-ken de shindo roku-kyō no hageshii yure o kansoku shita jishin no eikyō de, gurūpu no kigyō o fukumu kokunai jūgo no kōjō no uchi, kokonotsu no kōjō de junji, seisan chōsei o okonau to happyō shimashita.
Toyota Motor Corporation | as-for | this month | Fukushima Prefecture | and | Miyagi Prefecture | in/at | seismic intensity | 6+ | of | strong | tremors | obj. | registered | earthquake | in the aftermath of | group | of | companies | obj. | including | in-country | 15 | of | plants | out of | 9 | of | plants | in/at | gradually | production adjustment | obj. | to carry on | that | announced
Literal translation:
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it will gradually carry on production adjustment at 9 out of its 15 plants in the country, including the plants of its group companies, due to an earthquake which registered a seismic intensity of 6 upper in Fukushima and Miyagi prefecture on the 13th of this month.
Again, we will first identify what the basic structure of this sentence is, and then look at what other elements were added to its basic constituents to provide more information.
Here we go!
Basic structure:
(....) は
(...) >
と ( 発表しました )
(...) wa
(...) >
to ( happyō shimashita )
(....) | as-for |
(...) >
that | announced
(...) has announced that (....)
More specifically, the main structure of the sentence is:
(...) は
( [...] > [ の影響で ] )、
(...) >
と ( 発表しました )
(...) wa
( [...] > [ no eikyō de ] ),
(....) >
to ( happyō shimashita )
(....) | as-for |
( [...] > [ due to ] |
(....) >
that | ( announced )
(...) has announced that, due to (....), it will (....).
Let’s add the main units:
Enter your text here...
( トヨタ自動車 ) は
( 生産調整を行う ) >
と ( 発表しました )。
( Toyota Jidōsha ) wa
( seisan chōsei o okonau ) >
to ( happyō shimashita )
( Toyota Motor Corporation ) | as-for |
( production adjustment | obj. |
to carry on ) >
that | ( announced )
Toyota Motor Corporation
has announced that
it will carry on production adjustment.
Let's now add more details for on:
1) How Toyota will carry on that production adjustment
2) Where will this plan be implemented
1 [ 工場で ]
1 [ kōjō de ]
1 [ plants | in/at ]
at its plants
2 [ 順次 ]
2 [ junji ]
2 [ gradually ]
gradually
+ 生産調整を行う
+ seisan chōsei o okonau
+ production adjustment | obj. |
will carry on
It will carry on production adjustment
And again: at which plants will Toyota implement this production adjustment plan?
[ グループの企業を含む
国内15の工場のうち、
9つの ] → 工場で
[ gurūpu no kigyō o fukumu
kokunai jūgo no kōjō no uchi,
kokonotsu no ] → kōjō de
[ group | of | companies | obj. | including |
in-country | 15 | of | plants | out of |
9 | of ] > plants | in/at
At 9 out of its 15 plants in the country,
including those of its group companies.
Now, let's add the reason why it is necessary to adjust production in these plants:
(トヨタ自動車 ) は
( [ 地震 ] > [ の影響で ] )、
( 生産調整を行う ) >
と ( 発表しました ) 。
( Toyota Jidōsha ) wa
( [ jishin ] > [ no eikyō de ] ),
( seisan chōsei o okonau ) >
to ( happyō shimashita ).
( Toyota Motor Corporation ) | as-for |
( [ earthquake ] > [ due to ] ) |
( production adjustment | obj. | to carry on ) >
that | ( announced )
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that
it will carry on production adjustment),
due to an earthquake.
Finally, we’ll add the following details about the earthquake:
1) When it happened
2) Where it occurred
3) What seismic intensity it had
4) What kind of tremors were registered
1 [ 今月13日に ]
1 [ kongetsu jūsan-nichi ni ]
1 [this month | 13th | on ]
on the 13th of this month
2 [ 福島県と宮城県で ]
2 [ Fukushima-ken to Miyagi-ken de ]
2 [Fukushima Prefecture | and |
Miyagi Prefecture | in ]
in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures
3 [ 震度6強の ]
4 [ 激しい揺れを観測した ]
→ 地震
3 [ shindo roku-kyō no ]
4 [ hageshii yure o kansoku shita ]
→ jishin
3 [seismic intensity | 6+ | of ]
4 [strong | tremors | (obj.) |
were registered ]
→ earthquake
an earthquake that registered tremors
with a seismic intensity of 6+
Cool! We now have all we need to look at the original sentence again, and see how we broke it down into main and sub-units:
( トヨタ自動車 ) は
( [ 今月13日に ] +
[ 福島県と宮城県で ] +
[ 震度6強の ] +
[ 激しい揺れを観測した ]
→ [ 地震 ] > [ の影響で] )、
( [ グループの企業を含む
国内15の工場のうち、
9つの ] → [ 工場 ] ) で
( [ 順次 ]、+
[生産調整を行う] ) >
と ( 発表しました )。
I bet your head is probably pounding by now, but I want to give you another example of how to analyze a complex sentence to make sure you understand how to proceed.
The more practice you get, the more you'll get used to how Japanese syntax works.
SAMPLE SENTENCE 3
In a lawsuit filed by a female high school student in Osaka Prefecture, who refused to go to school because she was strongly instructed to dye her hair black, the Osaka District Court ruled that school regulations prohibiting hair dyeing and bleaching are at the discretion of schools, and hair guidance cannot be considered illegal.
大阪の府立高校の女子生徒が髪を黒く染めるよう強く指導されたことが原因で不登校になったと訴えた裁判で大阪地方裁判所は「髪の染色や脱色を禁止した校則は学校の裁量の範囲内で、頭髪指導も違法とはいえない」とする判断を示しました。
Ōsaka no furitsu kōkō no joshi seito ga kami o kuroku someru yō tsuyoku shidō sareta koto ga gen'in de futokō ni natta to uttaeta saiban de Ōsaka Chihō Saibansho wa ‘kami no senshoku ya dasshoku o kinshi shita kōsoku wa gakkō no sairyō no han'i-nai de, tōhatsu shidō mo ihō to wa ienai' to suru handan o shimeshimashita.
Osaka | of | prefectural | high school | of | female student | subj. | hair | obj. | to-dye | in-order-to | was-instructed | the-fact-that | reason | being | became-a-truant-student | that | complained | lawsuit | in | Osaka District Court | as-for | ‘hair | of | dyeing | and/or | bleaching | obj. | prohibited | school regulations | as-for | school | of | discretion | within the range | are-and | hair guidance | also | illegal | cannot be considered | that | stating | judgement | obj. | exhibited
Literal translation:
In a lawsuit in which a female student of a prefectural high school of Osaka complained (by saying) that: “(I) become a truant student because (I) was strongly instructed to dye (my) hair black”, the Osaka District Court ruled that: “School regulations that prohibited hair dyeing and bleaching are within the range of school discretion, and hair guidance cannot be considered illegal”.
As done before, let's start by identifying the basic structure of the entire sentence and then add its main units:
( [...] → [ 裁判 ] ) で
(...) は
( [...] → [ 判断 ] ) を
( 示しました ) 。
( [...] → [ saiban ] ) de
(...) wa
( [...] → [ handan ] ) o
( shimeshimashita )
( [...] → [ lawsuit ] ) | in |
(....) | as-for |
( [...] → [ judgement ] | obj. |
( exhibited )
At a lawsuit (....), (....) ruled that (....)
Let’s add the main units:
( [ 女子生徒 ] が
[ 不登校になった ] >
と [ 訴えた ] → [ 裁判 ] ) で
( 大阪地方裁判所 ) は
( [ 校則 ] は
[ 学校の裁量 ] >
[ の範囲内で ] 、
[ 頭髪指導 ] も
[ 違法 ] > [ とはいえない ] >
とする → [ 判断 ] ) を
( 示しました )。
( [ joshi seito ] ga
[ futokō ni natta ] >
to [ uttaeta ] → [ saiban ] ) de
( Ōsaka Chihō Saibansho ) wa
( [ kōsoku ] wa
[ gakkō no sairyō ] >
[ no han'i-nai de ] +
[ tōhatsu shidō ] mo
[ ihō ] > [ to wa ienai ] ) >
to suru → [ handan ] ) o
( shimeshimashita ).
( [ female student ] | subj.|
[ became a truant student ] >
that | [ complained ] | → [ lawsuit ] ) | in |
( Osaka District Court) | as-for |
( [ school regulations ] | as-for |
[ school ] >
[ within the range of ] | are-and ] +
[ hair guidance ] | also |
[ illegal ] > [ cannot be considered ] >
stating-that → [ judgement ] ) | obj. |
( exhibited )
At a lawsuit in which a female student complained (by saying) that:
“(I) became a truant student”, the Osaka District Court exhibited (its) judgement (by saying) that: “School regulations are within the range of school discretion,
and hair guidance cannot be considered illegal”.
Now, let’s add further details about:
1) Which school the student attends
2) The reason why she became a truant student
1 [ 大阪の府立高校の ]
→ [ 女子生徒 ]
1 [ Ōsaka no furitsu kōkō no ]
→ [ joshi seito ]
1 [ Osaka | of | prefectural | high school | of ]
→ [ female student ]
A female student of the Osaka
Prefectural High School
2 ( [ 髪を黒く染めるよう ] +
[ 強く] +
[ 指導された ]
→ [ こと] ) が
[ 原因 ] で
2 ( [ kami o kuroku someru yō ] +
[ tsuyoku ] +
[ shidō sareta ]
→ [ koto ] ) ga
[ gen'in ] de
2 ( [ hair | obj. | dye | to ] +
[ strongly ] +
[ was-instructed ]
→ [ fact] ) | subj. |
[ reason ] | being
Because (she) was strongly instructed
to dye (her) hair black.
And lastly, let's specify what kind of school rules the text is talking about:
[ 髪の染色や脱色を
禁止した ]→ [ 校則 ]
[ kami no senshoku ya dasshoku o
kinshi shita ] → [ kōsoku ]
[ hair | of | dying | and/or | bleaching | obj. |
prohibited ] → [ school regulations ]
School regulations that
prohibited hair dying and bleaching.
Good! We now have all the elements we need to take another look at the structure of our sentence:
( [ 大阪の府立高校の ]
→ [ 女子生徒 ] が
[ 髪を黒く染めるよう ] +
[ 強く ] + [ 指導された ]
→ [ こと ] ) が [ 原因 ] で >
[ 不登校になった ] >
と [ 訴えた ] → [ 裁判 ] )で
( 大阪地方裁判所 ) は
(「 [ 髪の染色や脱色を
禁止した ] → [ 校則 ] は
[ 学校の裁量 ] > [ の範囲内で ] 、
[ 頭髪指導 ] も
[ 違法 ] > [ とはいえない ] 」>
とする → [ 判断 ] ) を
( 示しました )。
Good! With this last sentence, we're done.
Conclusion
“Embedded clauses” are one of the biggest stumbling blocks for Japanese learners who try their hand at reading more complex texts in Japanese.
In this post, I’ve tried to explain in a simple and intuitive way how embedded clauses work and how to isolate them within a sentence.
This was done by starting from simple sentences and then gradually expanding them by adding new details about their main constituents.
As we have seen, “embedded clause”s” can be of two types:
Both types often occur in the syntax of Japanese and, as we have seen in the sample sentences we analyzed, they can often consist of rather long chunks.
I hope that you have been able to follow the reasoning outlined so far and that, above all, you have not been discouraged by the (apparently) complex system of analysis that I have adopted.
Honestly, it is the only way I could think of to show you the relationships between the various parts that make up the sentences we have analyzed.
Of course, you could use colors instead, or even come up with your own tools; the system you use does not matter.
The most important takeaway for you here is that right from the beginning you get used to identifying the main building blocks of a sentence, and then gradually searching for what is modified by what (“embedded clauses” or other elements).
If you don't get used to this type of analysis, you risk getting stuck and not understanding the structure of the sentence in front of you.
______________________
There you go!
If you found this post helpful, please feel free to share it with anyone you think would benefit from it.
Also, if you had any concerns or questions while reading, all you have to do is leave a comment below and I'll respond as soon as possible.
Sources & Images: Wikipedia Japan, Weblio, NHK News.
Excellent write-up. I definitely love this site. Stick
with it!