Words used to indicate which entities are being referred to and to distinguish those entities from others
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstrative
Groups of words with a similar ko-so-a-do pattern.
- こ: close to the speaker (e.g. “this dog”)
- そ: close to the listener (e.g. “that store”).
- あ: far from both speaker and listener, but that can be seen or understood (e.g. “that mountain over there”).
- ど: questioning what or which (e.g. “what car?”)
| こ | そ | あ | ど | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract idea | ||||
| れ | これ this one |
それ that one |
あれ that one over there |
どれ which one? |
| Given attribute | ||||
| の | この (of) this |
その (of) that |
あの (of) that over there |
どの (of) what? |
| Place, spot or location | ||||
| こ | ここ here |
そこ there |
あそこ over there |
どこ where? |
| Likeliness | ||||
| んな | こんな like this |
そんな like that |
あんな like that over there |
どんな what sort of? |
| Side or direction (the shorter っち is an informal version) | ||||
| ちら (っち) | こちら (こっち) this way |
そちら (そっち) that way |
あちら (あっち) that way over there |
どちら (どっち) which way? |
| Manner of action | ||||
| おう | こう in this manner |
そう in that manner |
ああ in that (other) manner |
どう how? in what manner? |
| Individual person, individual thing or individual item | ||||
| いつ | こいつ this person |
そいつ that person |
あいつ that (other) person |
どいつ who? |
| Person or side of the conversation (rarely used?) | ||||
| なた | こなた this person here |
そなた that person there |
あなた that person over there |
どなた what person? |