> じゃあ、最初に見たほう **の** にします.

This is a relatively easy sentence yet I can't seem to understand the purpose
of the の here. This is said after choosing a product.
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2021-09-23T19:15:33.090
90458
2023-06-15T22:08:21.067
45176
question
particle-の
Why is there a の in this sentence (ほうのにする)?
This の functions as a nominalizer here, indicating whatever it was that the
speaker 「最初に見た」. If the speaker were being fully explicit, the の would be
followed by the noun that was whatever they saw first. But this noun (or noun
phrase) is omissible if the antecedent has already been established by
context.

This usage is broadly similar to the use of "the one" in English:

> じゃあ、最初に見たほう **[の]{●}** にします。  
>  _" So, we'll go with **the one** we saw first."_
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2021-09-23T20:56:04.150
90459
2021-09-23T20:56:04.150
5229
90458
answer