Subordinate Clause — a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and functions as part of a larger sentence — including relative, adverbial, and complement clauses.

Definition

A dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and functions as part of a larger sentence — including relative, adverbial, and complement clauses.

In Depth

A dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and functions as part of a larger sentence — including relative, adverbial, and complement clauses.

In-Depth Explanation

Subordinate clause (also called a dependent clause) is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence — it is embedded within or dependent on a main (matrix) clause to form a complete grammatical unit. Subordinate clauses are distinguished from coordinate clauses (which are joined by coordinating conjunctions like and, but, or) in that they are structurally hierarchically lower than the main clause.

Types of subordinate clauses:

Japanese subordinate clause typology:

Japanese subordinate clauses have distinctive properties compared to English:

1. Prenominal relative clauses: Japanese relative clauses precede the noun they modify — the opposite of most European languages:
   私が読んだ本 (watashi ga yonda hon) = “the book [that I read]” (modifier before head noun)
   English: “the book [that I read]” (relative clause after head noun)

1. Long dependency strings: Japanese regularly stacks multiple modifying clauses before a head noun, creating very long left-branching structures that require planning the entire modification string before the head is produced

1. Embedded clauses with と, が, から, ので, たら, ば, て: Japanese has multiple subordinating forms that differ in register, causal nuance, and sequential relationship

1. Nominalization: The nominaliser の and こと convert clauses into noun phrases, enabling subordinate clause equivalents where English would use complement clauses: 彼が行くのを見た (“I saw [him going]” / “I saw his going”)

Left-branching vs. right-branching:

English is predominantly right-branching — relative clauses and complement clauses follow the head. Japanese is predominantly left-branching — relative clauses precede the head noun, creating significant parsing difficulty for English speakers: you must hold the entire pre-nominal modifier stack in working memory before the head noun is finally produced.

History

The grammatical concept of clause subordination has classical roots in Latin and Greek grammar. Modern structural syntax (Bloomfield, Harris) formalised hierarchical clause embedding. Chomsky’s transformational grammar (1957 and beyond) formalised recursive embedding and movement operations that target subordinate positions. Cross-linguistic research on relative clause typology was systematised by Edward Keenan and Bernard Comrie (1977 — the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy), which documented the cross-linguistic range of relative clause structures.

Common Misconceptions

• “Japanese doesn’t have relative clauses.” Japanese has fully productive relative clause structures — they are just prenominal (pre-noun) rather than postnominal (post-noun). The structure is different, not absent.
• “から (kara) and ので (node) mean the same thing.” Both express cause-effect relationships, but の(node) is softer, tone-wise — it implies a more objective, shared-ground causal relationship — while から(kara) can be more direct and explanatory. Register and pragmatic force differ.
• “Subordinate clauses are advanced grammar.” Subordinate clauses appear at very early stages of L2 acquisition and in virtually every natural utterance. Understanding their structure is foundational, not advanced.

Social Media Sentiment

Subordinate clause structure in Japanese — specifically prenominal relative clauses and the consequent left-branching parsing challenge — is a regular topic in intermediate and advanced Japanese learner communities. “How do I deal with very long Japanese sentences?” questions typically receive explanations about finding the head nouns at the ends of modifier chains. Functional differences between と, たら, ば, and なら conditionals are among the most frequently asked detail grammar questions.

Last updated: 2026-04

Practical Application

• Relative clause parsing: When encountering a long string of text before a noun, that string is likely a prenominal relative clause. Train yourself to look ahead for the head noun before trying to assign meaning — “X is the [type of noun] that [everything before].”
• Conditional forms: The four main conditional forms (と, たら, ば, なら) have overlapping and distinct usage conditions. Learn their prototypical uses (と: natural consequence/habitual; たら: sequential past completion; ば: hypothetical; なら: speaker’s assumption) before tackling edge cases.
• Stacking practice: Read extended Japanese text with complex pre-nominal modifiers aloud or write them yourself. Left-branching planning requires practice — it is a different cognitive process from English right-branching expansion.

Related Terms

• Relative Clause
• Main Clause
• Nominalization
• Conditional
• Left-Branching

See Also

Sakubo – Japanese Study

Sources

• Keenan, E. L., & Comrie, B. (1977). Noun phrase accessibility and universal grammar. Linguistic Inquiry, 8(1), 63–99. Foundational cross-linguistic typology of relative clause formation establishing the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy.
• Shibatani, M. (1990). The Languages of Japan. Cambridge University Press. Detailed analysis of Japanese clause subordination, relative clause structure, nominalization, and conditional forms.
• Comrie, B. (1989). Language Universals and Linguistic Typology (2nd ed.). Blackwell. Cross-linguistic overview of subordination types including typological discussion of head-final left-branching languages.