aka こそあど言葉
things
-れ: describe where something is in relation to where you are
| -れ | meaning |
|---|---|
| これ | this one |
| それ | that one |
| あれ | that one over there |
| どれ | which one? |
-の: used before a noun and describe where the noun is in relation to where you are
| の | meaning |
|---|---|
| この | this [noun] |
| その | that [noun] |
| あの | that [noun] over there |
| どの | which? [noun] |
people
-いつ: used to refer to someone in a gruff manner (gender-neutral)
| -いつ | meaning |
|---|---|
| こいつ | this guy |
| そいつ | that guy |
| あいつ | that guy over there |
| どいつ | which guy? |
| こやつ | this guy (old-fashioned) |
| そやつ | that guy (old-fashioned) |
| あやつ | that guy over there (old-fashioned) |
| どやつ | which guy? (old-fashioned) |
-なた: In classical Japanese, these were all used to refer to the person you were talking to (equivalent to “you” in English). each has different levels of formality
| -なた | meaning |
|---|---|
| こなた | archaic; can also mean “I/me/my” or “this person” |
| そなた | archaic; can also mean “that person” |
| あなた | you |
| どなた | who? (polite; can sound feminine) |
places
-こ: used to describe places in relation to where you are.
| -こ | meaning |
|---|---|
| ここ | here |
| そこ | there |
| あそこ | over there |
| どこ | where? |
directions
-ちら: used to politely refer to a direction or a place. can also be used to refer to an object or a person.
| -ちら | meaning |
|---|---|
| こちら | here (polite) |
| そちら | there (polite) |
| あちら | over there (polite) |
| どちら | where? (polite) |
-っち: casual version of the -ちら set. can also be used to refer to an object or person.
| -っち | meaning |
|---|---|
| こっち | here (casual) |
| そっち | there (casual) |
| あっち | over there (casual) |
| どっち | where? (casual) |
manner
-んな: used before nouns and describe the manner of noun that follows. also common to use these for objects that aren’t physically present.
- note: can combine with particles such as の or に to make things like こんなの (a thing like this) or こんなに (this much).
| -んな | meaning |
|---|---|
| こんな | this kind of [noun] |
| そんな | that kind of [noun] |
| あんな | that kind of [noun] over there |
| どんな | what kind of [noun] is it/what is [noun] like? |
-う: come before verbs (or verb phrases) and adjectives. describe the way the verb is done or what the adjective is like
| -う | meaning |
|---|---|
| こう | this way/like this |
| そう | that way/like that |
| ああ | that way (far)/like that (far) |
| どう | in what way/how? |