Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'whose' to show who owns something without repeating names or using 'his/her/their' in a new sentence.
- Replace possessive adjectives (his, her, its, their) with 'whose' to join two sentences together.
- Always follow 'whose' immediately with the noun being possessed: 'The girl whose cat...'
- Never use an article (a, an, the) between 'whose' and the noun it modifies.
Overview
whose は、文をスマートに繋ぎ、情報を凝縮させるための非常に強力なツールです。日本語を母国語とする私たちがこの概念を理解する際、まず理解すべきは、日本語には「所有」を示す関係代名詞が存在しないという点です。日本語では「これは私が昨日買った本です」のように、名詞を修飾する際に動詞の連体形を使いますが、所有格（～の）を関係代名詞として文の中に組み込むことはできません。「これは私が昨日買った、その表紙が破れている本です」と言いたいとき、日本語では文を分けるか、助詞を重ねて無理やり繋ぐ必要があります。whose は、先行詞（修飾される名詞）と、それに属する所有物や属性を一つの関係節の中で結びつける役割を担います。例えば I have a friend. Her father is a doctor. という二つの文を、I have a friend whose father is a doctor. と一つにまとめることができます。この「一つの文の中に所有関係を埋め込む」という構造は、日本語の文章構成にはない論理的なアプローチです。B2レベルを目指す方にとって、この whose を使いこなせるようになることは、単なる単語の暗記ではなく、英語特有の「情報を一つの文にパッケージングする」という思考回路を身につけることを意味します。ビジネスの場や日常会話で、冗長な説明を避けて簡潔に事実を伝えるために、この文法は不可欠です。whose は、文法的には「所有格の関係代名詞」と呼ばれます。ここで重要なのは、whose が単なる代名詞ではなく、my, your, his, her, its, their と同じ「所有格の限定詞」の役割を果たすという点です。日本語の「の」に相当しますが、英語ではこの whose が関係節の先頭に置かれ、直後に「所有されているもの（名詞）」が必ず続きます。The company whose CEO is my friend のように、whose を使った節が先行詞（The company）の後ろから修飾します。これが英語の「後置修飾」のルールです。また、whose は who や which とは異なり、必ず直後に名詞を伴うという制約があります。これを忘れると、whose is... のような文法ミスが起こります。英語では「所有者」と「所有物」のセットを whose [noun] という形で一括りにし、それを先行詞にぶつけるという感覚です。whose を対比させると分かりやすいでしょう。日本語では「AのB」という語順ですが、英語の関係代名詞節内では whose B という語順になります。この語順の変化を意識することで、文の構成が非常にクリアになります。whose の基本パターンは非常に厳格です。この順序を崩すと、ネイティブには不自然に聞こえます。I know a person whose brother is a famous actor.(私は兄が有名な俳優である人を知っている。)The house whose roof is red is mine.(屋根が赤いその家は私のものです。)
whose の直後には冠詞（a/an/the）を置いてはいけないという点です。日本語の「その人の家」を直訳して whose the house とするのは、英語では「二重所有」のような不自然な響きになります。whose がすでに所有の役割を担っているため、後ろは名詞単体で十分なのです。whose を使う場面は、主に二つに分けられます。一つは「限定的用法（Defining）」で、先行詞を特定するために必要な情報を加える場合です。この場合、コンマは使いません。例えば、The student whose essay won the prize is my student. と言えば、「どの学生か」を特定しています。My boss, whose office is on the top floor, is very strict. という文では、whose 以下の節はあってもなくても文としての意味は通じます。whose は人だけでなく、物に対しても使える点が重要です。昔の文法書では「物には of which を使う」とされていましたが、現代の自然な英語では、無生物であっても whose を使うのが一般的です。The book whose cover is torn と言う方が、The book the cover of which is torn よりも遥かにスムーズです。- 1
whoseとwho'sの混同: 日本人は発音が似ているため、書き言葉でよく間違えます。who'sはwho is/who hasの短縮形です。The boy who's bike is brokenと書くと「自転車が壊れている少年」ではなく「自転車である少年」という奇妙な意味になります。必ずwhoseを使いましょう。
- 1所有代名詞の重複: 日本語の「彼の本」という感覚から、
whose his bookと言ってしまうミスです。whoseが所有を表すため、hisは不要です。whoseを使ったら、後ろの名詞には所有代名詞を付けない、と覚えてください。
- 1冠詞の挿入:
whose the carのように、whoseの直後にtheを入れてしまうミスです。日本語には冠詞がないため、名詞には必ずtheを付けなければならないという意識が働きすぎてしまいます。whoseの後は冠詞なしの名詞、とルール化しましょう。
whose と他の関係代名詞の使い分けを整理します。who や which は、その名詞自身が「主語」や「目的語」になりますが、whose は「名詞の所有者」という関係性を示す点で異なります。例えば、The man who is tall（背が高い男）と The man whose son is tall（息子が背が高い男）を比較してください。前者は男自身が背が高いのに対し、後者は男の息子が背が高いという違いがあります。この違いを明確に意識することが、B2レベルの正確な表現力に繋がります。- Q:
whoseは無生物に使っても本当に失礼ではないですか？
of which を使うと非常に堅苦しく、回りくどい印象を与えます。日常会話からビジネスメールまで、自信を持って whose を使ってください。- Q: 複数の所有物がある場合はどうしますか？
whose は所有格なので、後ろに来る名詞が複数形でも問題ありません。The author whose books are sold worldwide のように、books と複数形にすればよいだけです。日本語の「本たち」という意識は不要です。- Q: 文の途中で
whoseを使う際、コンマが必要かどうかの判断は？
The person whose... のように「どの人か」を限定しないと文が成立しない場合はコンマ不要です。このルールは他の関係代名詞と同じですので、ぜひセットで覚えてください。Whose in Different Sentence Types
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Relative Clause (Person)
|
Noun + whose + Noun + Verb
|
The man whose car broke down...
|
|
Relative Clause (Thing)
|
Noun + whose + Noun + Verb
|
The car whose engine failed...
|
|
Interrogative (Determiner)
|
Whose + Noun + Verb...?
|
Whose phone is this?
|
|
Interrogative (Pronoun)
|
Whose + Verb...?
|
Whose is this?
|
Common Confusion: Whose vs. Who's
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Whose
|
Possessive (belonging to who)
|
Whose bag is this?
|
|
Who's
|
Who is / Who has
|
Who's coming to dinner?
|
Meanings
A relative pronoun used to indicate that the following noun belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned previously.
Relative Clause Possession
Used to introduce a relative clause that describes a noun by mentioning something it possesses.
“The company, whose profits doubled this year, is hiring.”
“He is the author whose books I told you about.”
Interrogative Determiner
Used at the beginning of a question to ask which person something belongs to.
“Whose phone is ringing?”
“Whose idea was it to go hiking in the rain?”
Interrogative Pronoun
Used as a standalone pronoun in a question when the noun is already understood from context.
“I found a jacket. Whose is it?”
“There are two umbrellas here; whose is whose?”
Reference Table
| 代名詞 | 役割 | 例文（人） | 例文（物） |
|---|---|---|---|
|
whose
|
所有（〜の）
|
The student whose laptop crashed...
|
The building whose roof leaked...
|
|
who's
|
短縮形（who is/has）
|
Who's coming to the party?
|
Who's got the key?
|
|
who
|
主格（〜が）
|
The man who helped me...
|
-
|
|
whom
|
目的格（フォーマル）
|
The person whom I met...
|
-
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
To whom does this vehicle belong? (Parking lot)
Whose car is this? (Parking lot)
Whose is the car? (Parking lot)
Yo, whose ride is that? (Parking lot)
Whose：所有の関係をつなぐ
置き換えられる言葉
- his belonging to him
- her belonging to her
- its belonging to it
- their belonging to them
文の構造
- 名詞 + whose + 名詞 + 動詞 所有に関する2つの文を合体
よくある使い方
- 人を特定する The student whose grades...
- 物を描写する The car whose engine...
- 情報を付け加える My friend, whose dog...
混同に注意
- Who's Who is / Who has
- Who Subject pronoun
Whose vs. Who's vs. Who の違い
Whose か Who's か迷った時のフローチャート
その文は「所有」や「持ち主」を意味していますか？
'who is' または 'who has' に置き換えられますか？
Whose の活用シーン
人
- • The student whose grades...
- • My friend whose car broke down...
動物
- • The dog whose tail wags...
- • A cat whose fur is soft...
物・概念
- • The book whose cover is red...
- • A theory whose implications...
現代の文脈
- • The influencer whose new line...
- • An app whose interface is intuitive...
レベル別の例文
Whose phone is this?
Whose is that bag?
Whose turn is it?
Whose shoes are these?
I know a girl whose name is Anna.
Whose car did you come in?
The man whose dog is big is my neighbor.
Whose books are on the table?
He is the actor whose face is on every billboard.
I live in a house whose roof is very old.
Whose idea was it to start this project?
The woman whose purse was stolen went to the police.
The company, whose headquarters are in Tokyo, is expanding.
It was a decision whose consequences were not yet clear.
The scientist, whose research changed the world, was very humble.
Whose side are you on in this argument?
They are a people whose traditions have survived for centuries.
The treaty, whose primary aim was peace, was signed yesterday.
He is a writer whose influence can be seen in many modern films.
The mountain, whose peak was hidden by clouds, looked intimidating.
It is a philosophy whose tenets are often misunderstood by laypeople.
The city, whose very foundations seemed to tremble, was in chaos.
She is a leader by whose example we should all be inspired.
The project, whose success depends entirely on your cooperation, is vital.
間違えやすい
They sound identical (/huːz/), leading to frequent spelling errors.
Learners think 'whose' is only for people and 'of which' is for things.
よくある間違い
Who's book is this?
Whose book is this?
Whose is the car?
Whose car is it?
The man whose the car is red.
The man whose car is red.
I know a girl whose is Sarah.
I know a girl whose name is Sarah.
The house who's roof is old.
The house whose roof is old.
Whose you are talking about?
Whose are you talking about?
The company, of which the CEO is retiring...
The company, whose CEO is retiring...
文型パターン
I have a friend whose ___ is ___.
Whose ___ did you ___?
It is a company whose ___ are ___.
Real World Usage
I worked for a firm whose primary focus was sustainable energy.
Whose dog is this? Found in Central Park!
A charming cottage whose garden overlooks the sea.
A theory whose validity has been questioned by recent data.
Whose account are we looking at today?
The party whose signature appears below...
「who is」に置き換えられるかチェック！
whose を who is や who has に置き換えても文が成立するなら、アポストロフィ付きの "who's« を使うべきです。そうでなければ »whose« です！ »Who's the manager?"冠詞（a, an, the）は不要です！
whose the car と言わないように注意しましょう。 I met a man whose car was red.
文をスリムにする「短縮パワー」
フォーマルでもカジュアルでもOK
The company whose CEO resigned is in trouble.
「物」に対しても使えます
of which よりも自然に聞こえることが多いですよ。 The car whose engine failed was towed away.
Smart Tips
Check if you mean 'who is'. If you can't say 'who is', change it to 'whose'.
Use 'whose' instead of 'of which' for objects.
Delete the possessive adjective (his/her/their) and the period, then insert 'whose'.
Make sure the noun comes immediately after 'whose'.
発音
Homophones
'Whose' and 'Who's' are pronounced exactly the same: /huːz/.
Stress
In questions, 'Whose' is usually stressed. In relative clauses, the noun following 'whose' often carries more stress.
Falling Intonation
Whose book is this? ↘
Standard information-seeking question.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Whose is for 'Who owns'. If you can replace it with 'his' or 'her', use 'whose'.
視覚的連想
Imagine a giant question mark holding a leash attached to a dog. The question mark is 'Whose' and the dog is the 'Noun' it owns.
Rhyme
If it's 'who is', use an apostrophe. If it's 'belongs to', whose is the key!
Story
A detective walks into a room and sees a mysterious hat. He asks, 'Whose hat is this?' He then finds the owner, a man whose name is Sherlock. Sherlock is a man whose skills are legendary.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Look around your room. Pick five objects and write a sentence for each using 'whose' to describe the owner (e.g., 'This is the desk whose surface is messy').
文化メモ
Using 'whose' for inanimate objects (like 'the car whose engine...') was once debated but is now standard and preferred over 'of which' in almost all contexts.
In very formal academic writing, 'of which' is still occasionally used to avoid personifying objects, but 'whose' is increasingly accepted for brevity.
In some dialects, 'who all' or 'whose all' might be used to refer to a group's possession, though this is non-standard.
Derived from Old English 'hwæs', which was the genitive (possessive) case of 'hwa' (who).
会話のきっかけ
Whose advice do you value the most in your life?
If you could live in any city whose climate is perfect, where would you go?
Whose phone is that on the table?
Think of a famous person whose career you admire. Who is it?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
That's the student ___ project won first prize.
whose が正解です。 who's は 'who is' の意味になります。Find and fix the mistake:
I saw a car who's engine was smoking.
who's は 'who is' の短縮形です。エンジンが車の一部であることを示すには、所有格の whose を使います。Choose the correct sentence:
whose 自体が所有を表すので、その後に her を重ねる必要はありません。また who's はここでは不適切です。Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
whose は所有（〜の）を、 who's は状態や職業（〜である）を表しています。Score: /4
練習問題
8 exercisesThe woman ___ daughter is a doctor lives next door.
Find and fix the mistake:
Whose the keys are these?
I don't know ___ going to the party tonight.
I met a man. His brother is a famous chef.
The car, whose windows were tinted, looked very expensive.
Identify the question form.
A: I found a wallet! B: ___ is it?
whose / is / idea / this / anyway / ?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesHe's the guy ___ dog always barks at the mailman.
The student who grades improved dramatically received an award.
正しい文を選んでください：
英語に訳してください：『あなたが勧めてくれた本の著者の女性に会いました。』
単語を並べ替えて正しい文を作ってください：
それぞれの役割を一致させてください：
We're looking for an app ___ interface is user-friendly.
The painter whose his art I admire is exhibiting next month.
正しい文を選んでください：
英語に訳してください：『彼女は私がその才能を称賛している女性です。』
単語を並べ替えてください：
説明と例文を一致させてください：
Score: /12
よくある質問 (8)
You can use `whose` for both! While it is the possessive of 'who', it is perfectly standard to say 'the house whose roof...' or 'the company whose profits...'.
`Whose` is possessive (belonging to whom). `Who's` is a contraction for 'who is' or 'who has'. They sound the same but have different meanings.
No, never use an article like 'the' or 'a' after `whose`. Say 'whose car', not 'whose the car'.
In very formal or old-fashioned writing, 'of which' is used, but in modern English, `whose` is much more common and natural.
Usually no, but in short questions like 'Whose is this?', it can be part of the predicate.
Use `who` if you are replacing 'he/she/they'. Use `whose` if you are replacing 'his/her/their'.
`Whose` is neutral. It is used in both casual conversation and formal academic papers.
No, 'whose's' is not a word. `Whose` is already possessive.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
cuyo / cuya
English 'whose' is gender-neutral and doesn't change for plural nouns.
dont
French 'dont' requires a specific word order (dont + subject + verb + object) that differs from English.
dessen / deren
German pronouns change based on the gender and number of the *owner*, whereas 'whose' is invariant.
〜の (no) + relative clause
Japanese relative clauses come *before* the noun they modify, while English 'whose' clauses come *after*.
الذي (alladhi) + possessive suffix
Arabic requires a 'resumptive pronoun' (a suffix meaning 'his/her') which is strictly forbidden in English.
的 (de)
Chinese uses one particle for many functions, whereas English uses 'whose' specifically for possession.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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関係代名詞 whose の使い方を分かりやすく解説！
ニック式英会話
関係代名詞 whose の自然な使い方と who's との違い
Hapa 英会話
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