あ・そ・こ System
Explanation
Japanese has 3 words for this/that (things)
- これ – This one (near me)
- それ – That one (near you)
- あれ – That one (over there)
Note that “near” “there” and “over there” don’t necessarily mean physical distance, they can also refer to psychological distance and distance from the topic.
This is called the あ・そ・こ system because you can keep the あ・そ・こ and change the last sound to change the meaning like so:
- これ – This (near me)
- ここ – This here
- この – (this ___)
あ・そ and こ themselves just refer to the proximity of a thing to the speaker and listener.
There’s also ど which is used for questions:
- どれ – Which X
Chart
| Ending | こ | そ | あ | ど |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| れ (This one) | これ (this one) | それ (that one) | あれ (that one over there) | どれ (which one) |
| の (This ___) | この (this __) | その (that __) | あの (that___ over there) | どの (which __) |
| こ (Place) | ここ (this place) | そこ (that place) | あそこ (over yonder) | どこ (where) |
| ちら (Direction) | こちら (this direction) | そちら (towards you) | あちら (over that way) | どちら (which way) |
| んな (な Adjective) | こんな (this kind) | そんな (that kind) | あんな (that kind) | どんな (what kind) |
Notes:
- どちら can be used for asking about 2 choices, while どれ is usually used for 3 or more.
- この etc. must be followed by a noun. This is the noun modification の
- それ and あれ can also be used to reference a previous topic.
Examples:
- これはえんぴつだ。- This one is a pencil.
- それはたいへんだったね。 – That must have been tough.
- そのぺんはかわいい- That pen (your pen) is cute
- どれがほしい？ – Which one do you want?
- どちらががほしい？- Which one do you want (2 choices)