# こそあど: This, That, Which

https://langs123.com/en/japanese/sentence-basics/ko-so-a-do/
CEFR A0–A1 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> **こ**, **そ** and **あ** words point near the speaker, near the listener and far away; **ど** words ask which or where. Pick the distance, then the kind: **これ** a thing, **この** before a noun, **ここ** a place: **これ**はりんごです。

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Thing | **これ** / **それ** / **あれ** + **は** + noun + **です** | **これ**はりんごです。 | This is an apple. |
| Noun | **この** / **その** / **あの** + noun | **その**ひとはたなかさんです。 | That person is Tanaka-san. |
| Place | noun + **は** + **ここ** / **そこ** / **あそこ** + **です** | トイレは**あそこ**です。 | The toilet is over there. |
| Distance | **こ** near me, **そ** near you, **あ** far from both. | **これ**はかばんです。 / **それ**はかさです。 / **あれ**はやまです。 | This is a bag. / That is an umbrella. / That over there is a mountain. |
| Answering | The listener answers **こ** with **そ**. | これはなんですか。 — **それ**はかばんです。 | What is this? — It is a bag. |
| Question | **ど** asks: **どれ** which, **どの** which before a noun, **どこ** where. | えきは**どこ**ですか。 — あそこです。 | Where is the station? — Over there. |
| Polite | **こちら**, **そちら**, **あちら**, **どちら**: polite place, direction and person. | **こちら**はたなかさんです。 | This is Tanaka-san. |
| Just said | **その** takes up what the other person just said. | あしたパーティーがあります。 — **その**パーティーはなんじからですか。 | There is a party tomorrow. — What time does that party start? |
| Trap | The far place is **あそこ**, never **あここ**. | トイレは**あそこ**です。 | The toilet is over there. |
| Trap | **これ** points at things; a person is **この** **人****ひと** or **こちら**. | **こちら**はたなかさんです。 | This is Tanaka-san. |

## Overview

- Three distances: **こ** near the speaker, **そ** near the listener, **あ** far from both. **これ**はかばんです。 / **それ**はかさです。 / **あれ**はやまです。 (This is a bag. / That is an umbrella. / That over there is a mountain.)
- The first sound sets the distance; the ending sets the kind: **れ** a thing, **の** before a noun, **こ** a place.
- The **ど** words are question words. See Questions.

## Form: the words

| Series | Thing | Before a noun | Place |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **こ**: near the speaker | **これ** | **この** | **ここ** |
| **そ**: near the listener | **それ** | **その** | **そこ** |
| **あ**: far from both | **あれ** | **あの** | **あそこ** |
| **ど**: the question | **どれ** | **どの** | **どこ** |

- **これ**, **それ**, **あれ** stand alone; **この**, **その**, **あの** need a noun after them. **これ**はほんです。 / **この**ひとはアンナさんです。 (This is a book. / This person is Anna.)
- **ここ**, **そこ**, **あそこ**, **どこ** name a place; the far one is **あそこ**. **ここ**はどこですか。 — **ここ**はとうきょうです。 (Where are we? — This is Tokyo.)

## Form: polite words

| Word | Meaning | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **こちら** | here, this way; this person (polite) | **こちら**はたなかさんです。 | This is Tanaka-san. |
| **そちら** | your side, there; that person (polite) | **そちら**はあついですか。 | Is it hot where you are? |
| **あちら** | over there, that way; that person (polite) | トイレは**あちら**です。 | The toilet is that way. |
| **どちら** | where, which way (polite) | えきは**どちら**ですか。 | Which way is the station? |
| **どちら** | which of two | コーヒーとおちゃ、**どちら**がいいですか。 | Coffee or tea: which would you like? |

- For a person, use **この** **人****ひと** or the polite **こちら**; **これ** is for things. **この**人ひとはたなかさんです。 / **こちら**はたなかさんです。 (This person is Tanaka-san. / This is Tanaka-san.)

## Use

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Near the speaker | **これ**はりんごです。 | This is an apple. |
| Near the listener | **それ**はかさです。 | That is an umbrella. |
| Far from both | **あれ**はやまです。 | That over there is a mountain. |
| The listener answers with the other word | これはなんですか。 — **それ**はかばんです。 | What is this? — It is a bag. |
| Place of the speaker | **ここ**はどこですか。 — **ここ**はとうきょうです。 | Where are we? — This is Tokyo. |
| A person, with a noun | **その**ひとはたなかさんです。 | That person is Tanaka-san. |
| What the other person just said | あしたパーティーがあります。 — **その**パーティーはなんじからですか。 | There is a party tomorrow. — What time does that party start? |

- The nouns in these sentences take their particles in Particles を, に, で, へ.

## Asking with ど

| Word | Meaning | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **どこ** | “where” | えきは**どこ**ですか。 — あそこです。 | Where is the station? — Over there. |
| **どれ** | “which one” of three or more things | **どれ**がたなかさんのかばんですか。 — それです。 | Which one is Tanaka-san’s bag? — That one. |
| **どの** | “which” before a noun | **どの**バスがえきへ行いきますか。 — あのバスです。 | Which bus goes to the station? — That bus over there. |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **これ**ひとはアンナさんです。 | **この**ひとはアンナさんです。 | before a noun the word ends in **の**: **この**, **その**, **あの** |
| これはなんですか。 — これはかばんです。 | これはなんですか。 — **それ**はかばんです。 | the listener answers **こ** with **そ**, since the thing is near the speaker, not the listener |
| トイレはあここです。 | トイレは**あそこ**です。 | the far place is **あそこ**; there is no **あここ** |
| あれはペンですか。 | **それ**はペンですか。 | a thing near the listener is **そ**; **あ** is far from both |
| これはたなかさんです。 | **こちら**はたなかさんです。 | **これ** points at things; to introduce a person say **こちら** |