This is the 626th most frequent Japanese word.
ノ
The Japanese word "ノ" (no) is a katakana character used for foreign words, names, or emphasis; it can also represent the possessive particle "の" (no) in an informal context.
In this sentence, 'ノ' (no) functions as a possessive particle, connecting the owner (私 - I/me) to the item (本 - book).
これは私の本です。
This is my book.
Here, 'ノ' (no) indicates a directional or descriptive connection, relating 'the way' (道) to 'the mountain' (山).
山への道は険しい。
The way to the mountain is steep.
In this example, 'ノ' (no) is used to nominalize the previous clause, allowing it to function as a noun phrase ('the meaning').