In Japanese, there are specific words used to "point" to things, which are essential for clear communication. There are three main types of pointing words. words that point to an object, words that point to an object and followed by a noun, and words that point to a location.
In addition to this, each of these types has a different form depending on whether the object is near the speaker, near the listener, far from both, or used when asking "which" object is being referred to.
Xれ This, That, and What's That?
The words used to point to objects and are independent of a noun all end in れ (re). There are four main words that end in れ: これ, それ, あれ, どれ, and だれ (when refering to people). Each of these words has a different meaning depending on the distance of the object being referred to.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| これ | kore | This (close to the speaker) |
| それ | sore | That (close to the listener) |
| あれ | are | That (far from both speaker and listener) |
| どれ | dore | Which (used when asking about an object) |
| だれ | dare | Who? (used when asking about a person) |
My Book, Your Bag: Using Xの Like a Pro
Xれ words are stand-alone pointing words. Our next set of pointing words are used to point to an object and are followed by a noun. These words end in の and indicate a specific object the speaker is talking about. The structure is simple:
Here are some examples of how to use these words:
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| これはわたしのほんです | kore wa watashi no hon desu | This is my book. |
| それはあなたのかさです | sore wa anata no kasa desu | That is your umbrella. |
| あれはせんせいのくるまです | are wa sensei no kuruma desu | That (over there) is the teacher's car. |
| どれがあなたのかばんですか | dore ga anata no kaban desu ka | Which one is your bag? |
| だれがせんせいですか | dare ga sensei desu ka | Who is the teacher? |
Xの + noun
The X is replaced by the same as the Xれ words. They are: この, その, あの, どの.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| この + noun | kono | This noun (close to the speaker) |
| その + noun | sore | That noun (close to the listener) |
| あの + noun | are | That noun (far from both speaker and listener) |
| どの + noun | dono | Which noun (used when asking about an object) |
Below are some examples of how to use these words:
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| このほん | kono hon | This book (close to the speaker) |
| そのかさ | sore kasa | That umbrella (close to the listener) |
| あのくつ | are kutsu | Those shoes (far from both speaker and listener) |
| どのかばん | dono kaban | Which bag? (used when asking about an object) |
Location, Location, Location! Learn to Point with Xこ Words
The words used to point to locations all end in こ. There are four main words in this group: ここ, そこ, あそこ, and どこ. Each of these words refers to a place, and their meaning depends on how far that place is from the speaker and the listener.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ここ | koko | Here (close to the speaker) |
| そこ | soko | There (close to the listener) |
| あそこ | asoko | Over there (far from both speaker and listener) |
| どこ | doko | Where? (used when asking about a location) |
Here are some examples of how to use these location words:
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ここはきょうしつです | koko wa kyoushitsu desu | Here is the classroom. |
| そこはとしょかんです | soko wa toshokan desu | There is the library. |
| あそこはこうえんです | asoko wa kouen desu | Over there is the park. |
| トイレはどこですか | toire wa doko desu ka | Where is the bathroom? |