Qualifying Nouns with Verbs & Adj

🔁 Quick Recap: Describing People and Things in Japanese

In Japanese, you can describe someone or something by placing a descriptive phrase directly before the noun.

🔹 Examples:

• やさしい 先生せんせい
• → a kind teacher
• 目めが大おおきい 子どもこども
• → a child with big eyes
• アニメが好きすきな 友達ともだち
• → a friend who likes anime

That’s your basic noun modifier using adjectives or phrases. Now, let’s talk about something more dynamic 👇

🎯 Main Focus: Describing People with 〜ている Form

Use [ている] form when you want to describe someone based on their current actions or ongoing state.

✅ Structure:

[Verb in ている form] + [Noun]
(Mean “a person who is ~ing”)

🆕 Examples:

• イヤホン]を[付つけている 人ひと
  → a person wearing earphones 🎧

• ピアノ]を[弾ひいている 人ひと
  → a person playing the piano 🎹

• 写真しゃしんを撮とっている 彼女かのじょ
  → the girl taking photos 📸

• 赤ちゃんあかちゃんを抱だいている お父さんおとうさん
  → the dad holding a baby 👶

• 自転車じてんしゃに乗のっている 学生がくせい
  → a student riding a bike 🚴‍♂️

🗣 Casual Japanese Tip:

In real life, people often drop the い in ている and say てる instead!

• ピアノ]ひいてる[ひと人って、ゆうめい有名？
  → Is the person playing piano famous?
• あそこ]で[うたってる] [ひと人 [だれ]〜？
  → Who’s the person singing over there?

🧠 Your Turn – Try It!

Look around you and describe someone using 〜ている: