Kore, Sore, and Are: This and That in Japanese

To choose kore, sore, and are in Japanese, first locate the current speaker. In an ordinary face-to-face exchange, use これ for a thing near the speaker, それ for a thing near the listener, and あれ for a thing away from both. If the thing moves—or the speaker changes—choose again.

The forms これ・それ・あれ stand alone. Use この・その・あの before a noun. The same map later extends to places with ここ・そこ・あそこ.

This page’s Play controls use your browser or device voice, not a human-reviewed recording. Voice availability and pronunciation vary. Use the written position changes to learn the choice rule, then check your listening and pronunciation with reliable Japanese audio or a real conversation.

Only one pen moves through this scene. It begins near Maya, so Leo calls it それ. After the completed handoff, the same pen is near Leo, so he switches to これ. On the distant stand it becomes あれ. When Maya retrieves it, she can call it これ, while Leo calls the same object そのペン. The pen never receives a permanent “this” or “that” label; the current relationship decides the word.

The blue line remains on the route sketch after the pen changes hands, and Maya extends it when the pen returns to her side.

Choose from the current speaker’s three zones

Japanese demonstratives use a ko-so-a-do pattern. In the common face-to-face setup where two people occupy different sides, こ- marks the speaker’s side, そ- the listener’s side, and あ- an area away from both. ど- asks which one or where.

These are conversational zones, not measurements in meters. When the speaker and listener stand together, これ can cover the nearby area shared by both, それ can indicate a somewhat separated area, and あれ a farther area. Look at the shared scene instead of calculating a fixed distance.

Use kore, sore, and are without a noun

The -re forms stand by themselves. Say これは本ですこれは ほんです (“This is a book”), not これ本ですこれ ほんです. If you want the noun immediately after the demonstrative, change これ to この.

Particles follow the stand-alone form: これは sets a topic, それを marks the object of an action, and どれが identifies a choice. For the wider particle system, continue with the Japanese sentence structure lesson. Pointing can support the phrase, but do not point close to a person’s face or body.

Match the request with the new position

If you ask それを見せてくださいそれを みせて ください, the listener may answer はい、どうぞ while handing the item to you. Once it reaches your side, do not keep calling it それ from habit. Recheck the relation and use これ.

Rechoose after the object or speaker moves

Run two checks whenever the scene changes:

1. Who is speaking now?
2. Where is the object in relation to that speaker and listener?

If Maya holds the pen, Leo can say それは青ですそれは あおです. Maya can call the same pen これは青ですこれは あおです. Nothing moved; only the speaker changed. If Maya hands it to Leo, Leo also switches from それ to これ. This time, the speaker stayed the same and the object moved.

The memory rule is simple: same object, new speaker or place, new choice.

Use kono, sono, and ano before a noun

The -no forms cannot stand alone here; a noun must follow. Use them when you want to say what kind of object you mean.

Compare これは安いですこれは やすいです (“This one is cheap”) with この本は安いですこの ほんは やすいです (“This book is cheap”). これ replaces the noun; この limits the noun that follows. The same split applies to それ／その, あれ／あの, and どれ／どの.

Extend the same map to places

After the object forms feel stable, reuse the pattern for places.

At a station, ここは新宿駅ですかここは しんじゅくえきですか asks about your current place. そこに置いてくださいそこに おいて ください asks someone to put an item by their position. トイレはあそこです points to a place away from both speakers.

Conversation can also create non-physical relations. For example, その話その はなし may refer to a story the listener just introduced, and あの時あの とき may refer to a remembered time shared by both people. These uses depend on discourse context. Build the physical map first; this lesson does not try to cover every discourse use.

Recheck the relation before you point

• Start with the current speaker, not a permanent English translation.
• Use こ- near the speaker, そ- near the listener, and あ- away from both in an ordinary face-to-face scene.
• Let これ・それ・あれ stand alone; put この・その・あの before a noun.
• Rechoose after the object moves or the speaker changes.
• Extend the map to ここ・そこ・あそこ only after the object pattern is clear.

Here, the demonstrative only identifies the object. Use the focused price lesson to ask, hear, and confirm an amount, or the shopping flow lesson to continue through stock, fit, choice, and checkout. Next, apply the pointing rule while you order one menu item, quantity, and drink.