Grammar JLPT Level N5 - Lesson 2

Structure of の:

Noun (A) + の + Noun (B)

Details about の:

From the perspective of English, の has several different meanings. It can indicate possession, like putting (A)'s on the end of a word. In Japanese, however, the meaning is a bit broader, and shows that (B) is an attribute/possession of (A).

これは妹(いもうと)の車(くるま)です。
This is my sister's car.
今日(きょう)の夜(よる)。
Today's night. (Not very natural in English, but 'tonight' is an attribute of 'today' in Japanese, so it works)

In the first sentence, we can see that の is showing ownership, however in the second sentence, it is simply showing a relationship between (A) and (B).
の is also often used in the same way as が, to highlight the subject of a statement.

私(わたし)が好(す)きなお酒(さけ)はビールです。
My preferred drink is beer. (Alcoholic drink)
私(わたし)の好(す)きなお酒(さけ)はビールです。
My preferred drink is beer. (Alcoholic drink)

の

Usage Notes for の:

の is usually used after nouns, but can also be used after other types of words, specifically when it is transforming them into a noun-like phrase. This is called nominalization in English. We will cover this in detail in the の - Nominalization grammar point.