Kore, Sore, Are

While English uses the words 'this' and 'that' to specify items near to or away from the speaker, Japanese uses three words:

• kore - "this thing I am holding, touching, or indicating"; an item near the speaker
• sore - "the thing I am indicating" an item near the person being addressed
• are - "that thing over there"; an item apart from both the speaker and the addressee

 

These words may be used by themselves as the subject or topic of a sentence:

• kore wa nan desu ka - "What is this thing I am holding, touching, or indicating?"
• sore wa tokei desu - "The thing you are holding is a clock"
• are wa terebi desu - "That thing over there is a television"

 

Notice this can be used to actually ask for information ("What is this thing?"), but it also has the effect of asking "What is the word for this in Japanese?"

 

A related set of words are used as adjectives and require a noun:

• kono noun - "this noun"; an item near the speaker
• sono noun - "the noun I am indicating"; an item near the person being addressed
• are noun - "that noun over there"; an item apart from both the speaker and the addressee

 

These words may only be used as modfiers and require a noun when used as the subject or topic of a sentence:

• kono kasa wa akai desu ka - "This umbrella is red."
• sono tokei wa gosen en desu - "That watch costs ¥5000."
• ano terebi wa sanman en desu - "That television over there costs ¥30000."