Kore Sore Are Dore: This & That in Japanese (Ko-So-A-Do)

The short answer

こ = near me. そ = near you. あ = far from both of us. ど = which?
Things: これ, それ, あれ, どれ.
Before a noun: この, その, あの, どの + noun.
Places: ここ, そこ, あそこ, どこ.

The ko-so-a-do chart

	こ (near me)	そ (near you)	あ (over there)	ど (which?)
thing	これ this	それ that	あれ that over there	どれ which
+ noun	この〜	その〜	あの〜	どの〜
place	ここ here	そこ there	あそこ over there	どこ where
direction (polite)	こちら	そちら	あちら	どちら
way	こう like this	そう like that	ああ like that	どう how

これ・それ・あれ・どれ

これはなんですかkore wa nan desu ka
What is this?
それはわたしのですsore wa watashi no desu
That (near you) is mine.
あれはふじさんですかare wa Fujisan desu ka
Is that (over there) Mount Fuji?
どれがいいですかdore ga ii desu ka
Which one is good?

この・その・あの・どの + noun

これ stands alone; この needs a noun after it. Don’t say これほん; say このほん.

このほんはおもしろいですkono hon wa omoshiroi desu
This book is interesting.
そのかばん、かわいいですねsono kaban, kawaii desu ne
That bag (of yours) is cute.
あのひとはだれですかano hito wa dare desu ka
Who is that person over there?
どのバスにのりますかdono basu ni norimasu ka
Which bus do I take?

ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ

ここはどこですかkoko wa doko desu ka
Where am I? (Where is here?)
トイレはあそこですtoire wa asoko desu
The toilet is over there.
そこでまっていてくださいsoko de matte ite kudasai
Please wait there.

こちら, そちら, あちら, どちら are polite versions you’ll hear from staff: こちらへどうぞ, this way, please.

Bonus: そう in conversation

そうですね (that’s right / let me think) and そうですか (is that so?) come from the same system and are two of the most-used phrases in Japanese conversation.

Ko-so-a-do in real life

This system is everywhere in shops and restaurants. Pointing plus a ko-so-a-do word gets you a long way, even with few other words:

これをくださいkore o kudasai
This one, please.
それはいくらですかsore wa ikura desu ka
How much is that one (near you)?
あのケーキはなんですかano kēki wa nan desu ka
What’s that cake over there?
どれがおすすめですかdore ga osusume desu ka
Which one do you recommend?
こちらへどうぞkochira e dōzo
This way, please.

あの… for hesitation

あの and あのう are also used as fillers, like um or excuse me, to get attention softly: あのう、すみません. ええと (let me see) does a similar job while you think.

あれ and それ in conversation

In conversation, あれ can refer to something both speakers know from the past: あれ、おいしかったね (that was delicious, wasn’t it, about a meal you shared). それ refers to something the other person just mentioned: それ、いいですね (that sounds good). It’s the same near-me / near-you logic, applied to topics instead of objects.

This or that?0/4

A pen in your hand: “This is a pen.”
“This book”:
“Where is the station?”
A building far from both of you:

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between kore, sore and are?

これ (kore) is near the speaker, それ (sore) near the listener, and あれ (are) far from both. どれ (dore) asks 'which one?'.

What is the difference between kore and kono?

これ stands alone as a pronoun (これはなんですか), while この must be followed by a noun (このほん, this book).

What is ko-so-a-do?

Ko-so-a-do is the Japanese system of demonstratives: words starting with こ (near me), そ (near you), あ (far from both) and ど (question).

What does ano mean in Japanese?

あの means 'that (over there)' before a noun, but あの / あのう is also used as a hesitation filler like 'um' or a soft 'excuse me'.