A1
これ, それ, あれ — this and that
The Japanese ko-so-a-do system — これ, それ, あれ and どれ — and the parallel この, その, あの used before nouns.
Japanese splits that in two, by whose side of the conversation the thing is on.
| これ | near me |
| それ | near you |
| あれ | away from us both |
| どれ | which |
これは本です。
Kore wa hon desu.
This is a book.
それは何ですか。
Sore wa nan desu ka.
What’s that (there by you)?
あれは山です。
Are wa yama desu.
That over there is a mountain.
The middle one is what English lacks. それ says the one by you, and using あれ instead puts the object outside the conversation — a small distance that is audible to a Japanese ear.
Before a noun the form changes
これ stands alone. Attached to a noun it becomes この — and the same shift runs through the set.
| この本 | this book |
| その本 | that book (by you) |
| あの本 | that book over there |
| どの本 | which book |
この本は面白いです。
Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu.
This book is interesting.
これ本は面白いです。
この本は面白いです。
これ cannot sit in front of a noun. Before a noun the word is この — and no の is needed, since the の is already inside it.
The pattern repeats
こ- for near me, そ- for near you, あ- for over there, ど- for the question. Once you see it, ここ／そこ／あそこ (here, there, over there) and こちら／そちら／あちら (this way, polite this one) need no separate learning. Japanese calls the whole set ko-so-a-do.