Japanese Demonstratives: Pointing to Things Near and Far with これ, それ, あれ
Learn the Japanese demonstrative pronouns これ, それ and あれ to say 'this one' and 'that one', and use の to say who owns something, as in これは私のです。
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
Japanese does not use words like English 'a' or 'the'. Instead, when you point at a specific thing, you often use demonstrative pronouns. In this lesson you will learn three of them: これ (kore) for something near you, the speaker; それ (sore) for something near the person you are talking to; and あれ (are) for something far from both of you. You will also learn the question word どれ (dore), 'which one', and the possessive pattern 私の (watashi no), 'mine'. These words stand alone as nouns, so you can use them to say 'This is mine' or 'That one is yours' without repeating the object's name.
By the end, you can…
- point to a thing near me and say これは私のです。
- point to a thing near my listener and say それはあなたのですか。
- point to a thing far from both of us and say あれは田中さんのです。
- ask which one with どれですか。
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
これは私のです。
This one is mine.
kore wa watashi no desu.
Use when the object is close to you, the speaker. の here means 'belonging to'.
それはあなたのですか。
Is that one yours?
sore wa anata no desu ka.
Use when the object is close to the person you are speaking to. か makes it a question.
あれは田中さんのです。
That one over there is Tanaka-san's.
are wa Tanaka-san no desu.
Use when the object is far from both speakers. さん is a polite suffix for a person.
この本は私のです。
This book is mine.
kono hon wa watashi no desu.
この must be followed by a noun, here 本 (hon), 'book'. It cannot stand alone.
どれですか。
Which one is it?
dore desu ka.
Use when you do not know which of three or more things is the right one.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is [これ/それ/あれ] は [person] の です。For example, これは私のです (This is mine) and あれは田中さんのです (That over there is Tanaka-san's). The particle は (wa) marks the topic, and の replaces the noun, so you do not repeat the object's name. If you want to name the object, use この/その/あの before a noun: この本は私のです (This book is mine). この, その and あの cannot be used alone; they always need a noun after them.
When to use it
Choose the word by distance from the speaker and listener. これ is for something you can touch or that is close to you: これは私のペンです (This is my pen). それ is for something close to your listener: それは何ですか (What is that?). あれ is for something far from both of you: あれは学校です (That over there is a school). In a shop, if you point at an item near the clerk, use それ; if it is near you, use これ; if it is across the room, use あれ. For three or more unknown items, ask どれですか。
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
これは私の本です。
This is my book.kore wa watashi no hon desu.あれはあなたの本ですか。
Is that one over there your book?are wa anata no hon desu ka.いいえ、あれは田中さんのです。
No, that one over there is Tanaka-san's.iie, are wa Tanaka-san no desu.そうですか。では、これは誰のですか。
I see. Then whose is this one?sou desu ka. dewa, kore wa dare no desu ka.A little context goes a long way
Japanese demonstratives depend on whose point of view is being used. In a conversation, それ often refers to something near the listener, not near the speaker. When you speak on the phone, これ and それ can refer to things you cannot see, because the reference is in the shared conversation, not in physical space. Using あれ for something close to you can sound odd, so check the distance before you speak.
One thing to watch for
Using この alone to mean 'this one', as in このは私のです。
Try this instead: この must be followed by a noun. Say これは私のです (This one is mine) or この本は私のです (This book is mine). Use これ when the demonstrative stands alone.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You are holding a pen. How do you say 'This is mine'?
Show a sample answer
これは私のです。
これ is correct because the pen is near you, the speaker. 私の means 'mine'. このペンは私のです is also correct if you name the object.
2Your friend is holding a bag. How do you ask 'Is that yours?'
Show a sample answer
それはあなたのですか。
それ refers to something near your listener. あなたの means 'yours', and か makes the sentence a question. そのかばんはあなたのですか is also correct.
3You see a building far away. How do you say 'That over there is a school'?
Show a sample answer
あれは学校です。
あれ is used for something far from both speakers. 学校 (gakkou) means 'school'. あの建物は学校です is also correct if you name the building.
Use これ for near you, それ for near your listener, and あれ for far from both. Add の to say who something belongs to: これは私のです。
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