Can someone explain the difference between の as a pronoun vs. の as a particle?


I'm guessing this is a pretty straightforward question. Examples would be
helpful too, thank you!




の as a particle has the very simple function of noun modification. You might
find some comparisons between の and the English 's or "of", however these can
be a bit confusing once you start running into less directly translatable
uses.

For example:

  * 私の車 - My car
  * 昨日の宿題 - Yesterday's homework
  * アメリカの出身 - To be from America
  * なんのため(？) - For what purpose(?)

It can also act similarly to the particle が in some sentences:

  * 人気{ひとけ}のないところ
  * 人気{にんき}のあるもの - Popular item (can put anything here)

の as a pronoun, on the other hand, is very simple in its most basic uses,
being the basic equivalent to the English "one." The question that Andry links
to addresses the nuances, but most of the time you'll be fine associating it
with "one" in English, or something similar to a possessive pronoun like
"mine." For example:

  * 赤いの欲しい - I want a red one 
  * 暖かいの飲みたい - I want to drink a hot one
  * 私のは小さい車だよ - My car is the small one

There are some grammatical rules to it, like not ending the sentence with the
pronoun の. Grammar dictionaries are great for the nuances.

