Demonstrative and Interrogative Pronouns
Demonstrative words, whether functioning as pronouns, adjectives or adverbs, fall into four groups. Words beginning with ko- indicate something close to the speaker (so-called proximal demonstratives). Those beginning with so- indicate separation from the speaker or closeness to the listener (medial), while those beginning with a- indicate greater distance (distal). Interrogative words, used in questions, begin with do-.
Demonstratives are normally written in hiragana.
| Romaji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kore | これ | this thing / these things (near speaker) |
| sore | それ | that thing / those things (near listener) |
| are | あれ | that thing / those things (distant from both speaker and listener) |
| dore | どれ | which thing(s)? |
| kochira or kotchi | こちら / こっち | this / here (near speaker) |
| sochira or sotchi | そちら / そっち | that / there (near listener) |
| achira or atchi | あちら / あっち | that / there (distant from both speaker and listener) |
| dochira or dotchi | どちら / どっち | what / where |
Read more about this topic: Japanese Pronouns
Famous quotes containing the word pronouns:
“In the meantime no sense in bickering about pronouns and other parts of blather.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)