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zatuon ga sukunai yoru ha gakki no oto ga kikoeyasui.

雑音ざつおん　が　少すくない　夜よる　は　楽器がっき　の　音おと　が　聞きこえやすい。zatuon ga sukunai yoru ha gakki no oto ga kikoeyasui.
On nights with little noise, the sound of instruments is easy to hear.
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Questions & Answers about zatuon ga sukunai yoru ha gakki no oto ga kikoeyasui.

How do I break down the structure of 雑音が少ない夜は楽器の音が聞こえやすい?

This is a typical sentence with a relative clause plus topic-comment structure:

  • 雑音が少ない modifies 夜 (“nights that have little background noise”).
  • 夜は marks that whole phrase as the topic (“As for those nights…”).
  • 楽器の音が聞こえやすい is the comment (“instrument sounds are easy to hear”).

In English word order: “On nights when there is little noise, it is easy to hear musical instruments.”

Why are there two particles が in this sentence?

Each が marks the subject of a different clause:

  1. 雑音が少ない: が marks 雑音 as the subject of 少ない (“noise is little”).
  2. 楽器の音が聞こえやすい: が marks 楽器の音 as the subject of 聞こえやすい (“instrument sound is easy to hear”).

They don’t conflict because they belong to separate clauses.

What does the suffix ～やすい mean in 聞こえやすい?

～やすい attaches to the stem of a verb to mean “easy to do” or “prone to do.”

  • Stem of 聞こえる (to be audible) is 聞こえ.
  • Add やすい → 聞こえやすい (“easy to hear” or “tends to be heard”).
Why not just say 静かな夜 instead of 雑音が少ない夜?

Both mean a “quiet night,” but nuance differs:

  • 静かな夜 focuses on the overall quietness (“tranquil night”).
  • 雑音が少ない夜 explicitly highlights the absence of unwanted noises (traffic, chatter, etc.). It’s more objective/technical.
Why do we say 楽器の音が聞こえやすい instead of 楽器が聞こえやすい?

You don’t literally “hear” the instrument itself but the sound it makes.

  • 楽器の音 = “the sound of the instrument.”
  • 楽器が聞こえる would sound like you’re “hearing the instrument” as a physical object, which is unnatural in Japanese.
Why is 夜 marked with は instead of に?

Using ～は on a time expression sets it up as the topic or context (“As for nights with little noise…”).

  • 夜に would simply mark when something happens (“at night”).
  • 夜は contrasts or scopes the comment specifically to those nights.
Could I change the order to 楽器の音が聞こえやすい夜は雑音が少ない?

That word order is unusual because the relative clause (“nights when instrument sounds are easy to hear”) now precedes its head noun in a confusing way.
Japanese prefers the modifier (雑音が少ない) directly before the noun it modifies (夜). Changing it breaks that clear link.

Why use 聞こえる (potential/ability verb) instead of 聞く (active verb)?
  • 聞こえる describes the passive ability (something is audible to you).
  • 聞く means you actively listen or “listen to something.”
    Here we’re talking about how easily the sound reaches your ear, so 聞こえる is the natural choice.