Kore, Sore, Are, Dore: Japanese Demonstratives (こそあど) Explained

You are sitting across a desk from a classmate. There is a pen in your hand, a phone in theirs, and a clock on the far wall. In English you would point and say “this”, “that” and “that one over there”. Japanese does the same job with a family of short words that all start with one of four sounds: こ (ko), そ (so), あ (a) and ど (do).

1. これはわたしのペンですKore wa watashi no pen desu.This is my pen.
2. それはなんですかSore wa nan desu ka.What is that (near you)?
3. あれはとけいですAre wa tokei desu.That over there is a clock.

Learners call this family こそあど (ko-so-a-do). Once you see the pattern, a whole row of words falls into place at once: “this one”, “this + noun”, “here”, “this way”, “this kind of” and “like this” all start with こ (ko).

The short answer

The first sound tells the listener where something is, measured from the people in the conversation:

• こ (ko): near me, the speaker.
• そ (so): near you, the listener, or at a middle distance when we are standing together.
• あ (a): away from both of us.
• ど (do): the question word, used when you do not know which one or where.

The ending tells you what kind of word it is. For example, ～れ (-re) is a thing on its own, ～の (-no) goes before a noun, and ～こ (-ko) is a place.

Facing each other or standing side by side

Where you and the listener are standing changes which word feels right.

Facing each other

Back at the desk, you and your classmate face each other. Each of you has your own area. Your pen is in your area, so it is これ (kore), “this”. Their phone is in their area, so you call it それ (sore), “that (near you)”. The clock is far from both of you, so it is あれ (are), “that over there”.

1. AそれはスマホですかSore wa sumaho desu ka.Is that (near you) a smartphone?
2. Bはい、これはわたしのスマホですHai, kore wa watashi no sumaho desu.Yes, this is my smartphone.

Notice how the words swap. The phone is それ (sore) to you but これ (kore) to your classmate, because it is in their hand. The は (wa) after them is the topic particle, written は but read wa. If particles are still new, start with what Japanese particles do.

Standing side by side

Now imagine you and a friend standing together at a bus stop, looking the same way. You share one area, so there is no “your side” any more. The choice depends only on distance from the two of you:

• ここ (koko), “here”: the spot where you are both standing.
• そこ (soko), “there”: a place a short way off, such as a bench a few steps away.
• あそこ (asoko), “over there”: a place clearly far away, such as a tower in the distance.

1. バスはそこにとまりますBasu wa soko ni tomarimasu.The bus stops there.
2. えきはあそこですEki wa asoko desu.The station is over there.

So そ (so) has two jobs: “near you” when you face each other, and “a middle distance” when you stand together. The line between そ and あ is not measured in metres. It depends on how far the place feels to the speaker, so native speakers do not always choose the same word.

The whole family at a glance

Here is the main family in one chart. Each row keeps the same ending, and each column keeps the same first sound. Read across a row: こ (ko), そ (so), あ (a), ど (do).

• Thing, used on its own: これ (kore), “this one” · それ (sore), “that one” · あれ (are), “that one over there” · どれ (dore), “which one?”
• Before a noun: この (kono), “this …” · その (sono), “that …” · あの (ano), “that … over there” · どの (dono), “which …?”
• Place: ここ (koko), “here” · そこ (soko), “there” · あそこ (asoko), “over there” · どこ (doko), “where?”
• Direction or place, polite: こちら (kochira) · そちら (sochira) · あちら (achira) · どちら (dochira), “this way, that way, that way over there, which way?”
• Direction or place, casual: こっち (kocchi) · そっち (socchi) · あっち (acchi) · どっち (docchi), the casual “this way, that way, that way over there, which way?”
• Kind, before a noun: こんな (konna), “this kind of” · そんな (sonna), “that kind of” · あんな (anna), “that kind of (over there)” · どんな (donna), “what kind of?”
• Way, before a verb: こう (kou), “like this” · そう (sou), “like that” · ああ (aa), “like that (over there)” · どう (dou), “how?”

If the kana in the chart still take you a while to read, a few minutes of kana practice a day will make every row quicker to recognise.

これ, それ, あれ, どれ: a thing on its own

これ (kore), それ (sore), あれ (are) and どれ (dore) stand in for a thing. They work like nouns, so they can come before は (wa) in the は…です pattern you already know.

1. これはおちゃですKore wa ocha desu.This is tea.
2. それはわたしのほんですSore wa watashi no hon desu.That (near you) is my book.
3. あれはやまださんのくるまですAre wa Yamada-san no kuruma desu.That over there is Mr Yamada’s car.

They can also take other particles. You may already use one of them in a shop: これをください (kore o kudasai), “This one, please.”

どれ (dore) asks “which one?” when you choose from three or more things. The answer simply replaces どれ (dore):

1. AせんせいのペンはどれですかSensei no pen wa dore desu ka.Which one is the teacher’s pen?
2. BこれですKore desu.It’s this one.

この, その, あの, どの: always followed by a noun

When you want to name the thing, swap ～れ (-re) for ～の (-no) and put the noun straight after it. この (kono), その (sono), あの (ano) and どの (dono) cannot stand alone.

1. このペンはわたしのですKono pen wa watashi no desu.This pen is mine.
2. そのねこはかわいいですねSono neko wa kawaii desu ne.That cat (near you) is cute, isn’t it?
3. あのひとはやまださんですAno hito wa Yamada-san desu.That person over there is Mr Yamada.

どの (dono) asks “which …?” and also needs a noun after it:

This set is handy when shopping, because it lets you point at an item and name it at the same time. The lesson on asking prices with いくらですか (ikura desu ka) uses it in exactly that way.

ここ, そこ, あそこ, どこ: places

ここ (koko) is “here”, そこ (soko) is “there” and あそこ (asoko) is “over there”. どこ (doko) asks “where?”. They are nouns for places, so they fit the same patterns as words like きょうしつ (kyoushitsu), “classroom”.

1. ここはきょうしつですKoko wa kyoushitsu desu.This (place) is the classroom.
2. トイレはそこですToire wa soko desu.The toilet is there.
3. AコンビニはどこですかKonbini wa doko desu ka.Where is the convenience store?
4. BあそこですAsoko desu.It’s over there.

If you mainly need to ask for directions, the lesson on how to ask “Where is…?” with どこですか (doko desu ka) gives you ready-made questions for stations, toilets and hotels.

Place words also combine with に (ni) to say where something is. The lesson on あります and います (arimasu and imasu) builds sentences like this one:

For whether a place takes に (ni) or で (de), see に vs で (ni vs de).

The odd one out: あそこ

If the pattern were perfectly regular, “over there” would be あこ (ako), which is not a standard word. The standard word is あそこ (asoko), with an extra そ (so) in the middle. Learn it as the one exception in the place row.

There is one more small surprise in the “way” row: the あ (a) word is ああ (aa), “like that”, not あう (au). That row uses long vowels: こう (kou), そう (sou), ああ (aa), どう (dou).

こちら, そちら, あちら, どちら: the polite set

こちら (kochira), そちら (sochira), あちら (achira) and どちら (dochira) first point to a direction (“this way”, “that way”). They are also a polite way to refer to places, things and even people. You will hear them from shop and hotel staff all the time, often after すみません (sumimasen) has got someone’s attention.

1. トイレはあちらですToire wa achira desu.The toilet is over that way.
2. こちらはスミスさんですKochira wa Sumisu-san desu.This is Ms Smith.

Introducing someone with こちら (kochira) is more polite than pointing at them with これ (kore). これ is for things.

どちら (dochira) has two common uses. First, it is a polite “where?”:

Second, it asks “which one?” when there are only two choices. Here the two choices are joined with と (to), the “and” you use for a complete list:

1. コーヒーとおちゃと、どちらがいいですかKoohii to ocha to, dochira ga ii desu ka.Which would you like, coffee or tea?
2. おちゃがいいですOcha ga ii desu.Tea, please. (literally, “Tea is good.”)

こっち, そっち, あっち, どっち: the casual set

こっち (kocchi), そっち (socchi), あっち (acchi) and どっち (docchi) are shorter, casual versions of the polite set. Use them with friends and family.

1. こっち、こっち！Kocchi, kocchi!Over here, over here!
2. Aどっちがいい？Docchi ga ii?Which one do you want? (of two)
3. BこっちKocchi.This one.

Like どちら (dochira), どっち (docchi) is for choosing between two. Add ～ましょう (-mashou) to a direction word and you get an easy suggestion:

こんな, そんな, あんな, どんな: what kind of

This set goes before a noun and talks about the kind of thing, not the exact one. どんな (donna) asks “what kind of …?”.

1. AどんなねこですかDonna neko desu ka.What kind of cat is it?
2. BこんなねこですKonna neko desu.It’s a cat like this. (showing a photo)

A very useful question with どんな (donna) is about likes. Here the thing you like takes が (ga), as the は vs が lesson explains:

そんな (sonna) and あんな (anna) follow the same distance idea as before. With ほしいです (hoshii desu), you can say you want something similar to what you see:

1. そんなスマホがほしいですSonna sumaho ga hoshii desu.I want a smartphone like that (the one you have).
2. あんなくるまがほしいですAnna kuruma ga hoshii desu.I want a car like that one over there.

こう, そう, ああ, どう: like this, and how

This set describes how something is done. It usually sits before the verb, and the verb stays at the end, as in basic Japanese sentence order.

A teacher might say that while showing you how to write あ (a), one of the five hiragana vowels.

You will use そう (sou) and どう (dou) almost every day:

1. はい、そうですHai, sou desu.Yes, that’s right.
2. そうですかSou desu ka.I see. / Is that so?
3. コーヒーはどうですかKoohii wa dou desu ka.How about some coffee?

どうですか (dou desu ka) works like a question with か (ka): it can ask “How is it?” or offer something with “How about …?”. You will meet ああ (aa) less often at first.

Words you’ll meet later

A few more members of the family are useful to recognise, but you do not need to use them yet.

• これら (korera), それら (sorera), あれら (arera), “these, those”: plural forms used mainly in formal speech and writing. In everyday talk, これ (kore) already covers one thing or several.
• こいつ (koitsu), そいつ (soitsu), あいつ (aitsu), “this guy, that guy”: rough, casual words for people. こいつ (koitsu) can sound rude or insulting, so do not use it about someone you have just met, or about anyone older than you.
• あなた (anata), “you”: part of an old こそあど set. It is often avoided in real conversation, which is one reason Japanese drops “I” and “you” so often.
• どなた (donata), “who?”: a polite version of だれ (dare). どなたですか (donata desu ka) means “Who is it?” or “May I ask who you are?”
• そ and あ for things you talk about: そ (so) words can point back to something just mentioned, and あ (a) words to something you both remember. This is useful, but it comes after the physical meaning is solid.

Common beginner mistakes

Using この without a noun

この (kono) needs a noun straight after it. Wrong for this meaning: このはわたしのです (Kono wa watashi no desu), intended as “This is mine.” Use これ (kore), or add the noun:

1. これはわたしのですKore wa watashi no desu.This is mine.
2. このペンはわたしのですKono pen wa watashi no desu.This pen is mine.

Putting a noun straight after これ

これ (kore) already means “this thing”, so it does not take a noun after it. Wrong for this meaning: これほんはわたしのです (Kore hon wa watashi no desu), intended as “This book is mine.” Switch to この (kono):

Using どれ when there are only two choices

どれ (dore) is for three or more. Wrong for this meaning: コーヒーとおちゃと、どれがいいですか (Koohii to ocha to, dore ga ii desu ka), when you are offering just those two drinks. Use どちら (dochira), or casual どっち (docchi):

With three or more drinks on the table, どれ (dore) is the right choice:

Using あれ for something in the listener’s hand

English says “that” for anything that is not yours, but Japanese uses それ (sore) when the thing is on the listener’s side. Wrong for this meaning: あれはなんですか (Are wa nan desu ka), when you mean the object your friend is holding. Say:

Mixing up ここ and これ

ここ (koko) is a place and これ (kore) is a thing. Wrong for this meaning: トイレはこれです (Toire wa kore desu), when you want to say “The toilet is here.” Use the place word:

Practise こそあど

Choose the word for each situation

Picture each situation, choose the word, then check the answer underneath.

1. You are holding a book and want to say “This is a Japanese book.”
2. Your friend, sitting opposite you, has a new bag. Ask “Is that bag new?”
3. You and a visitor are standing together, and the station is far down the road. Say “The station is over there.”
4. A shop assistant shows you two cakes. Ask politely which one is recommended: “Which is good?”

Answers

1. The book is on your side, so use これ:

2. The bag is on your friend’s side, so use その before the noun:

3. The station is far from both of you, so use あそこ:

4. There are only two choices, and the question is polite, so use どちら:

If someone answers with a place word and you cannot see where they mean, it is fine to ask again with もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegaishimasu), “One more time, please.”

Quick quiz

1. Which word goes before a noun?

A. これ (kore), “this one”　B. この (kono), “this …”

Answer: B. この (kono) needs a noun after it, as in このペン (kono pen), “this pen”.

2. Your teacher is holding a pen. What do you call it?

A. それ (sore), “that (near you)”　B. これ (kore), “this (near me)”

Answer: A. The pen is on the listener’s side, so it is それ (sore).

3. Which word asks “where?”

A. どれ (dore), “which one?”　B. どこ (doko), “where?”

Answer: B. どこ (doko) asks about a place. どれ (dore) asks “which one?”.

4. You are offered two drinks. Which question fits?

A. どちらがいいですか (Dochira ga ii desu ka), “Which (of two) is good?”　B. どれがいいですか (Dore ga ii desu ka), “Which (of three or more) is good?”

Answer: A. どちら (dochira) is for two choices.

5. Which is the casual word for “this way” or “this one”?

A. こちら (kochira), “this way” (polite)　B. こっち (kocchi), “this way” (casual)

Answer: B. こっち (kocchi) is casual. こちら (kochira) is polite.

6. What is the standard word for “over there”?

A. あこ (ako), not a standard word　B. あそこ (asoko), “over there”

Answer: B. あそこ (asoko) is the irregular member of the place row.

Keep this in mind

Look at the first sound: こ (ko) is near me, そ (so) is near you or a little way off, あ (a) is away from both of us, and ど (do) asks the question. Then look at the ending to see whether you have a thing, a noun partner, a place, a direction, a kind or a way. Say the rows out loud while pointing at real objects around you. Our guide to practising speaking by yourself has more ideas for solo drills like this.

Continue learning

Put the place words to work with How to Ask “Where Is…?” in Japanese: どこですか for Beginners.

Use これ (kore) and それ (sore) at the counter with How to Order Food in Japanese: これをください for Beginners.