Confused by use of自分 here


関口 has just woken up after surgery:

> 関口は **自分が** 盲腸の手術をしたことを思い出した。

I'm sure I'm being dumb, but this reads to me like

> Sekiguchi remembered doing the appendix operation himself.

I assume it's supposed to mean "Sekiguchi remembered having an appendix
operation". What am I failing to understand here?




Your assumption is true. There are 2 points:

  1. 手術をする can mean 手術を **受ける** , that is, to have an operation.

  2. 自分が appears as the subject of the relative noun clause `自分が盲腸の手術をしたこと` (the fact that he had an appendix operation). It can be translated to be, simply, "he" here.

You can think of this 自分 as "I". From 関口's view, the fact is " **I** underwent
the operation." (自分は手術をした。) Making it a relative noun phrase, it becomes
自分が盲腸の手術をしたこと and now 自分 means "he" (= 関口).




Your assumption is true. There are 2 points:

  1. 手術をする can mean 手術を **受ける** , that is, to have an operation.

  2. 自分が appears as the subject of the relative noun clause `自分が盲腸の手術をしたこと` (the fact that he had an appendix operation). It can be translated to be, simply, "he" here.

You can think of this 自分 as "I". From 関口's view, the fact is " **I** underwent
the operation." (自分は手術をした。) Making it a relative noun phrase, it becomes
自分が盲腸の手術をしたこと and now 自分 means "he" (= 関口).

