Breakdown of inu no mimi ha ookii desu.
はha
topic particle
犬inu
dog
ですdesu
to be
大きいookii
big
のno
possessive case particle
耳mimi
ear
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Questions & Answers about inu no mimi ha ookii desu.
What does the particle の do in 犬の耳は大きいです?
の links 犬 and 耳, showing possession or association—so 犬の耳 literally means dog’s ear(s) (just like ’s in English).
Why is 耳 followed by は instead of が?
は marks the topic of the sentence (“as for the dog’s ears…”). Using が would simply mark the ears as the subject, often introducing new information or emphasizing them, whereas は frames what you’re talking about before you comment on it.
Why isn’t 犬 followed by another particle before の?
Because 犬 is directly modifying 耳 through の, forming one noun phrase 犬の耳. You don’t need an extra particle on the modifier—の does the linking job.
Is 耳 singular or plural here?
Japanese nouns like 耳 don’t change form between singular and plural. Context tells you whether you mean ear or ears. In this sentence, it naturally refers to both of the dog’s ears.
Why do we add です after 大きい?
大きい is an i-adjective that can end a sentence on its own in casual speech (犬の耳は大きい). Adding です makes the statement polite: 犬の耳は大きいです.
How do I make this sentence negative?
Replace 大きいです with 大きくないです (polite) or 大きくない (casual). For example: 犬の耳は大きくないです.
How do I turn it into a question?
Simply add the question particle か at the end: 犬の耳は大きいですか。
How would I say “these dogs have big ears”?
One natural way is この犬たちは耳が大きいです, where この犬たち means these dogs and 耳が大きい expresses that their ears are big.
Alternatively, これらの犬の耳は大きいです literally means “the ears of these dogs are big.”