Japanese demonstratives follow a 4-way distance pattern based on the ko-so-a-do stems:
| Stem | Distance | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| こ (ko) | Near speaker | this / here |
| そ (so) | Near listener | that / there |
| あ (a) | Far from both | that (over there) |
| ど (do) | Question | which / where |
Cheatsheet
| Speaker (ko-) | Listener (so-) | Far from both (a-) | Question (do-) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thing (-re) | これ this one | それ that one | あれ that one (far) | どれ which one? |
| thing + verb (-no) | この this ~ | その that ~ | あの that ~ (far) | どの which ~? |
| place (-ko) | ここ here | そこ there | あそこ over there | どこ where? |
| direction (-chira) | こちら(こっち) this way | そちら(そっち) that way | あちら(あっち) that way (far) | どちら(どっち) which way? |
| manner (-u/-a) | こう like this | そう like that | ああ like that (far) | どう how? |
Things (mono/koto)
| ko | so | a | do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thing | これ this one | それ that one | あれ that one (far) | どれ which one? |
| な-adj modifier | この this ~ | その that ~ | あの that ~ (far) | どの which ~? |
- れ suffix: これ、それ、あれ、どれ → stand alone (“this one”, “that one”)
- の suffix: この、その、あの、どの → must be followed by a noun (“this book”, “that car”)
Place
| ko | so | a | do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | ここ here | そこ there | あそこ over there | どこ where? |
Direction
| ko | so | a | do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | こちら this way | そちら that way | あちら that way (far) | どちら which way? |
Casual forms: こっち、そっち、あっち、どっち
- こちら/そちら/あちら also used as polite “this person / that person”
- どちら = “which of two” (more specific than どれ = “which of many”)
Manner (how)
| ko | so | a | do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manner | こう like this | そう like that | ああ like that (far) | どう how? |
- こう → “this way / like this”
- そう → “that way / like that” — also used for agreement: そうです (that’s right)
- どう → “how?” → どうぞ、どうも、どうか all derived from this
Key distinction: その vs あの
- その — the listener knows what you’re talking about (shared context in conversation)
- あの — both speaker AND listener know (shared memory/common knowledge)
あの映画、覚えてる？ — “That movie (we both know), remember it?”
その本は何？ — “What’s that book (near you)?”