JLPT N5 Lesson 4: This and That — Demonstratives

Overview

In Japanese, the demonstrative system—often called the "Ko-So-A-Do" system—is the backbone of spatial and object reference. Mastering these words is essential for N5 learners because they allow you to navigate your environment, ask for items in shops, and inquire about locations. Without these, you cannot effectively interact with your surroundings.

This lesson builds upon your knowledge of basic sentence structures (AはBです) by introducing specific identifiers for things, places, and directions. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to distinguish between items near you, near the listener, and far from both, providing a foundation for more complex descriptive sentences in future lessons.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Correctly use これ, それ, and あれ to identify objects.
• Use この, その, and あの to modify nouns.
• Ask for and provide locations using ここ, そこ, あそこ, and どこ.
• Use polite forms (こちら, そちら, あちら) to indicate directions or people.
• Ask "which one" or "which way" using どれ, どの, and どの方向.

New Vocabulary

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English	Part of Speech
これ	これ	kore	this (thing)	Pronoun
それ	それ	sore	that (thing)	Pronoun
あれ	あれ	are	that (thing over there)	Pronoun
どれ	どれ	dore	which (thing)	Pronoun
この	この	kono	this (noun)	Determiner
その	その	sono	that (noun)	Determiner
あの	あの	ano	that (noun over there)	Determiner
どの	どの	dono	which (noun)	Determiner
ここ	ここ	koko	here	Noun
そこ	そこ	soko	there	Noun
あそこ	あそこ	asoko	over there	Noun
どこ	どこ	doko	where	Noun
こちら	こちら	kochira	this way/this person (polite)	Noun
近い	ちかい	chikai	near	Adjective
遠い	とおい	tooi	far	Adjective

Grammar Points

1. The Ko-So-A-Do System (Things)

Structure: [これ/それ/あれ] は [Noun] です。

The Ko-So-A-Do system is based on distance. Ko (これ) is for things near the speaker. So (それ) is for things near the listener. A (あれ) is for things far from both. Do (どれ) is the question word used when choosing from a group.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
これは本です。	これはほんです。	Kore wa hon desu.	This is a book.
それはペンです。	それはぺんです。	Sore wa pen desu.	That is a pen.
あれは時計です。	あれはとけいです。	Are wa tokei desu.	That (over there) is a clock.
どれが辞書ですか。	どれがじしょですか。	Dore ga jisho desu ka?	Which one is the dictionary?

Common mistake: ❌ これ本です → ✓ これは本です — Always use the particle は after the demonstrative pronoun.

2. Demonstrative Adjectives (Noun Modifiers)

Structure: [この/その/あの] + [Noun]

Unlike the pronouns above, these words must be followed by a noun. You cannot say "このです" (This is...). You must say "この本です" (This book).

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
この傘は私のです。	このかさはわたしのです。	Kono kasa wa watashi no desu.	This umbrella is mine.
その車は新しいです。	そのくるまはあたらしいです。	Sono kuruma wa atarashii desu.	That car is new.
あの建物は学校です。	あのたてものはがっこうです。	Ano tatemono wa gakkou desu.	That building over there is a school.
どのペンがあなたの？	どのぺんがあなたの？	Dono pen ga anata no?	Which pen is yours?

Common mistake: ❌ これ本は高いです → ✓ この本は高いです — Use the adjective form (この) when directly modifying a noun.

Dialogues

Dialogue 1: At a Stationery Shop

A customer is asking about items on a shelf.

Customer: すみません、これは何ですか。 (Sumimasen, kore wa nan desu ka?) / Excuse me, what is this?

Clerk: それは万年筆です。 (Sore wa mannenhitsu desu.) / That is a fountain pen.

Customer: あのペンはいくらですか。 (Ano pen wa ikura desu ka?) / How much is that pen over there?

Clerk: あれは千円です。 (Are wa sen-en desu.) / That one over there is 1,000 yen.

Customer: ありがとうございます。 (Arigatou gozaimasu.) / Thank you very much.

Dialogue 2: Finding the Station

A tourist asks a local for directions.

Tourist: すみません、駅はどこですか。 (Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka?) / Excuse me, where is the station?

Local: 駅はあそこです。 (Eki wa asoko desu.) / The station is over there.

Tourist: ここから近いですか。 (Koko kara chikai desu ka?) / Is it near from here?

Local: はい、とても近いです。 (Hai, totemo chikai desu.) / Yes, it is very near.

Tourist: ありがとうございます。 (Arigatou gozaimasu.) / Thank you.

Grammar Drills

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank

1. (Holding a pen) ____はペンです。(kore/sore)
2. (Pointing to a car far away) ____は私の車です。(kono/ano)
3. (Asking about a location) トイレは____ですか。(doko/dore)
4. ____本は面白いです。(sono/sore)
5. (Choosing between two items) ____が一番いいですか。(dore/dono)

Answer Key:

1. これ 2. あの 3. どこ 4. その 5. どれ

Translation Practice

English → Japanese

1. This is a bag.
2. That (near you) is a notebook.
3. Where is the library?
4. That building (over there) is the hospital.
5. Which one is your umbrella?

Japanese → English 6. ここは私の家です。 7. そのペンは誰のですか。 8. あそこは郵便局です。 9. どの辞書が新しいですか。 10. 駅はここから遠いです。

Answer Key:

1. これは鞄です。 2. それはノートです。 3. 図書館はどこですか。 4. あの建物は病院です。 5. どれがあなたの傘ですか。
2. This is my house. 7. Whose pen is that? 8. That place over there is the post office. 9. Which dictionary is new? 10. The station is far from here.

Cultural Note

The Japanese demonstrative system reflects a high level of situational awareness. Unlike English, where "that" can be used somewhat loosely, Japanese speakers are constantly evaluating the distance between themselves, the listener, and the object. This reflects the Japanese cultural emphasis on context and the relationship between the speaker and the listener.

Furthermore, the use of "polite" directions like こちら (kochira) instead of ここ (koko) is common in customer service. If you enter a shop, a clerk might say "こちらへどうぞ" (Please come this way). Using the polite form shows respect and is a hallmark of professional communication in Japan.

Self-Check

1. What is the difference between これ and この?
2. When would you use あそこ instead of そこ?
3. Why can't you say "どれ本ですか"?
4. Translate: "That (near you) is a dictionary."
5. How does the Ko-So-A-Do system help you in a real-life shopping scenario?