N5 Lesson 22 · Midnight Noir にほんご / Series 1 · みんなの日本語 第 22 課

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日本語で読む / Show Japanese

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Episode 22: The Man Who

Description is a spy\’s blade. Not “the man,” but “the man who took the photographs”. Not “the room,” but “the room where the meeting happened”. To name a person precisely is to mark them.
描写は、 スパイ の刃。 ただの「男」 ではなく「写真を撮った男」。 ただの「部屋」 ではなく「会議が行われた部屋」。 人を正確に名指すことは、 その人を印付けること。

An old colleague calls. She has a question about a face in a recent file.
昔の同僚から、 電話。 最近のファイルの顔について、 質問が。

Through a one-way window, Mike sees a figure seated alone. The handler asks for an identification.
マジックミラー越しに、 マイクは一人で座る人物を見る。 ハンドラー は、 同定を求める。

On the table, the day\’s recovery. Eight photographs. Each one means something different. One means everything.
テーブル の上、 今日の収穫。 8 枚の写真。 それぞれが、 違うことを意味する。 一枚は、 すべてを意味する。

The lights go down in the corridor. He thinks of the friend who left this life, who got out, who lives now without secrets.
廊下の灯りが消える。 マイクは思う ── この生活を去った友のことを。 抜け出し、 今は秘密なしで生きている友のことを。

→ Related chapter (Chapter 5: The Locked Room)
Available in 日本語 / English / 中文 / 繁體中文 / Tiếng Việt

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Key Sentences

1. V-た N (the man who did X)

• Do you know the man who took the photos?
• 你知道拍照的那个男人吗? / 你知道拍照的那個男人嗎?
• Bạn có biết người đàn ông đã chụp ảnh không?

2. V-て いる N (the person who is V-ing)

• Who is the person waiting in that room?
• 在那个房间等着的人是谁? / 在那個房間等著的人是誰?
• Người đang chờ trong phòng đó là ai?

3. N1 が V-た N2 (the photos N1 took)

• The photos Mike took are important.
• 麦克拍的照片很重要。 / 麥克拍的照片很重要。
• Ảnh mà Mike chụp rất quan trọng.

4. V-た N に 会いたい (want to meet the X who)

• I want to meet the friend who quit work.
• 我想见辞职的朋友。 / 我想見辭職的朋友。
• Tôi muốn gặp người bạn đã nghỉ việc.

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Vocabulary

日本語	English	简体	繁體	Tiếng Việt
普通形 + N	noun-modifying clause	修饰名词的句子	修飾名詞的句子	mệnh đề bổ nghĩa
知しshiって いる	know (state)	知道	知道	biết
知しshiらない	do not know	不知道	不知道	không biết
住すsuんで いる	live in (state)	住	住	sống
働はたらhataraいて いる	work at (state)	工作	工作	làm việc
会あaいます	meet	见	見	gặp
生うuまれます	be born	出生	出生	sinh ra
育そだsodaちます	grow up	长大	長大	lớn lên
大切たいせつtaisetsu	important	重要	重要	quan trọng
場所ばしょbasho	place	地方	地方	nơi
時間じかんjikan	time	时间	時間	thời gian

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Grammar Patterns

Grammar Picture

が, not は, inside the clause

This is the most common mistake. Inside a noun-modifying clause, the subject of the inner clause MUST take 「が」.

• OK: マイクが 撮った 写真 = the photos Mike took
• NOT OK: マイクは 撮った 写真 (wrong — は is for the outer topic, not inside the clause)

Outside the clause (main sentence topic), 「は」 returns:
マイクが 撮った 写真は 大切です。 = The photos Mike took ARE important.

Verb tense in the modifier

The tense in the modifying clause is independent of the main sentence:

• 写真を 撮った 男の人を 知って います。 = (I) know the man who took photos. (past + present)
• 写真を 撮る 男の人を 知って います。 = (I) know the man who takes photos. (present + present)
• 写真を 撮って いる 男の人を 知って います。 = (I) know the man who is taking photos. (progressive + present)

Adjective + noun is the same pattern

The same direct attachment used for adjectives + noun (L8) extends to clauses + noun.

• 大きい カメラ (い-adj + N)
• 静かな 部屋 (な-adj + N)
• マイクが 撮った 写真 (clause + N)

One unified rule: in Japanese, modifiers come BEFORE the noun they describe. No relative pronouns (‘that’, ‘which’, ‘who’). Just stack them.

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Roleplay Practice

Scene: A colleague asks Mike to identify someone in a photo.

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How do you say this in Japanese?

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How to Use This Lesson

For Self-Study (45 minutes)

1. Read Grammar Patterns (5 min).
2. Practice Key Sentences (10 min) — note 「が」 inside the clause.
3. Learn Vocabulary (10 min).
4. Read Mini Story (5 min).
5. Roleplay (10 min) — describe 5 things around you with modifier clauses.
6. Review tomorrow.

Check Yourself (click to expand)

Q1. Which is correct: ‘the man who took photos’?

• A. 写真しゃしんshashinを 撮とtoった 男おとこotokoの人ひとhito
• B. 写真しゃしんshashinを 撮とtoったの 男おとこotokoの人ひとhito
• C. 写真しゃしんshashinを 撮とtoる 男おとこotokoの人ひとhito

Show answer

✓ A. Plain form directly before the noun. No の.

Q2. Inside a noun-modifying clause, the subject takes:

• A. は
• B. が
• C. を

Show answer

✓ B. が

「マイクが 撮った 写真」 — が inside the clause.

Q3. 「待って いる 人」 means:

• A. the person who waited
• B. the person who is waiting
• C. the person who will wait

Show answer

✓ B. V-て いる N = the N who is V-ing.

Q4. In the Mini Story, the friend Mike wants to meet:

• A. lives in Kyoto
• B. quit the (spy) work
• C. is dead

Show answer

✓ B. quit the work

「仕事を やめた 友達」 = the friend who quit work.

Q5. Write: Describe a person you know using a noun-modifying clause.

Try V-た N or V-て いる N.

Show answer

Samples:

• 日本語にほんごnihongoを 教おしoshiえて いる 先生せんせいsensei (the teacher who teaches Japanese)
• 京都きょうとkyoutoに 住すsuんで いる 友達ともだちtomodachi (the friend who lives in Kyoto)

For Teachers (click to expand)

For Teachers (45-60 minutes in class)

• Warm-up (5 min): Identify people in a photo: 「眼鏡を かけて いる 人」「コーヒーを 飲んで いる 人」.
• が drill (10 min): Convert は to が when inside a relative clause. Highlight this rule.
• Stacking practice (10 min): Take two simple sentences and merge into one with a modifier clause.
• Description chain (10 min): One student names a thing; next adds a modifier; next stacks another. Build longer phrases.
• Roleplay (15 min): Police identification / dating site profile — practice descriptions.
• Check Yourself (5-10 min).

Common pitfall: 「マイクは 撮った 写真」 — wrong. Reinforce「が」 inside the clause.

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