Kore, Sore, Are: Japanese Demonstratives (Ko-So-A-Do) Explained
Japanese demonstratives are the “this, that, which” words, and they follow one simple pattern: ko- means near the speaker, so- means near the listener, a- means far from both, and do- asks which one. Once you know the pattern, you get four sets for the price of one: これ・それ・あれ・どれ (this one, that one, that one over there, which one), この・その・あの・どの (this/that + noun), ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ (here, there, over there, where) and こちら・そちら・あちら・どちら (polite direction and people). The tricky part is using そ and あ when you talk about things that aren’t physically there.
The ko-so-a-do table
| Meaning | ko- (near me) | so- (near you) | a- (over there) | do- (which?) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thing (stands alone) | これ kore | それ sore | あれ are | どれ dore |
| Thing + noun | この本 kono hon | その本 sono hon | あの本 ano hon | どの本 dono hon |
| Place | ここ koko | そこ soko | あそこ asoko | どこ doko |
| Direction, polite “this way/person” | こちら kochira | そちら sochira | あちら achira | どちら dochira |
| Kind of | こんな konna | そんな sonna | あんな anna | どんな donna |
| Way, like this | こう kō | そう sō | ああ ā | どう dō |
これ vs この: the most common beginner mistake
これ, それ, あれ and どれ stand on their own. この, その, あの and どの must be followed by a noun. So you say これは何ですか (What is this?) but この傘はいくらですか (How much is this umbrella?). “この は” or “これ傘” are both wrong. If you want to point at something and name it, use the この form.
Polite versions: こちら and どちら
こちら, そちら, あちら and どちら are politer than ここ and どこ, and they are everywhere in shops, hotels and business. Staff say こちらへどうぞ (This way, please). When you introduce someone, こちらは田中さんです (This is Ms Tanaka) is much more polite than これは. And どちらからですか is a polite way to ask where someone is from. In business, そちら can also mean “your company”. See casual vs polite Japanese.
そ and あ when nothing is in the room
When you talk about something that isn’t in front of you, the choice depends on shared knowledge:
- あ- for something you both know. あの店、また行きたいね (I want to go to that restaurant again, you know the one). Using あれ in conversation suggests a shared memory.
- そ- for something just mentioned or that only one of you knows. 昨日、新しいカフェに行きました。そのカフェは… (Yesterday I went to a new café. That café…). Your listener hasn’t been there, so あの would sound odd.
Learners often overuse あの in stories. If your listener doesn’t already know it, use その.
Everyday phrases built on ko-so-a-do
- そうですね (That’s right / Let me see), one of the most common phrases in Japanese.
- どうですか (How is it? / How about…?) and どうしましたか (What’s wrong?).
- こんにちは and こんばんは literally contain こ (this day, this evening).
- あのう… (Um…) to get someone’s attention politely.
- どうぞ (Please, go ahead) and どうも (Thanks).
- そんなことないです (Not at all), a modest reply to a compliment.
How to practise
Point at things around your room and say これ, それ and あれ out loud with a partner or tutor, then switch to この + noun. Practise asking for things in a shop: これをください, あれは何ですか, トイレはどこですか. See shopping in Japan and Japanese particles explained for the sentences these words fit into.
How Hanabuddies can help
Our native Japanese tutors teach one-to-one online, in English. Demonstratives are easy to read in a table and harder to use in real conversation, especially そ and あ in stories. In lessons we practise with real objects, role plays and your own anecdotes, and your tutor corrects you in the moment so the right word becomes automatic.