〜の: meaning and usage
Meaning
At the end of a casual sentence, の can make it a question. Between nouns, it can show possession, another relationship, or that the second noun is someone or something identified by the first. After a modifier, it can mean 'the ... one.' In descriptions such as 目の大きい人, it can mark the subject of the described quality.
This point is also listed at N4 · N3.
How to form it
- nounのnoun
- い-adjective/verb (plain form)の
- な-adjective (stem)/nounなの
How it is used
Between nouns it shows possession and other links; after an adjective or verb it stands for a noun (「赤いの」, the red one). Among close people, a sentence-final 「の」 asks with rising pitch or explains with falling pitch; nouns and な-adjectives add 「な」.
Examples
綾子にはその話をきちんと伝えたの？
Did you tell Ayako about that properly?
もっと安いのはありますか。
Do you have a cheaper one?
どうしたの？元気がないね。
What's wrong? You seem down.
About the example The sentence-ending の turns 綾子にはその話をきちんと伝えた into a casual question asking whether Ayako was properly told about it.