{"id":1203,"date":"2025-11-22T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2025-11-07T05:42:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T05:42:53","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-%e3%81%93%e3%82%8c-%e3%81%9d%e3%82%8c-%e3%81%82%e3%82%8c-and-%e3%81%a9%e3%82%8c-in-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/japanese\/whats-the-difference-between-%e3%81%93%e3%82%8c-%e3%81%9d%e3%82%8c-%e3%81%82%e3%82%8c-and-%e3%81%a9%e3%82%8c-in-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Difference Between \u3053\u308c, \u305d\u308c, \u3042\u308c, and \u3069\u308c in Japanese?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re learning Japanese, you\u2019ve probably come across these four little words: \u3053\u308c<\/strong>, \u305d\u308c<\/strong>, \u3042\u308c<\/strong>, and \u3069\u308c<\/strong>. They\u2019re part of the demonstrative pronoun family \u2014 used to point things out. At first glance, they all seem to mean \u201cthis,\u201d \u201cthat,\u201d or \u201cwhich,\u201d and it gets confusing fast.<\/p>\n\n

But the difference between them is simple once you understand the logic: it\u2019s all about distance \u2014 both physical and relational \u2014 from the speaker and the listener.<\/p>\n\n

\u3053\u308c (kore) \u2013 \u201cThis one\u201d<\/h2>\n

Used when the item is close to you, the speaker.<\/p>\n

Think:<\/em> \u201cthis thing right here (near me).\u201d<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong>
\n \u3053\u308c\u306f\u308a\u3093\u3054\u3067\u3059\u3002
\n Kore wa ringo desu.
\n \u201cThis is an apple.\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n

You\u2019re probably holding the apple or pointing to it in front of you.<\/p>\n\n

\u305d\u308c (sore) \u2013 \u201cThat one (near you)\u201d<\/h2>\n

Used when the item is near the listener.<\/p>\n

Think:<\/em> \u201cthat thing near you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong>
\n \u305d\u308c\u306f\u30da\u30f3\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f
\n Sore wa pen desu ka?
\n \u201cIs that a pen?\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n

You\u2019re asking about something close to the other person, not you.<\/p>\n\n

\u3042\u308c (are) \u2013 \u201cThat one over there\u201d<\/h2>\n

Used when the item is far from both of you.<\/p>\n

Think:<\/em> \u201cthat thing over there (away from us both).\u201d<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong>
\n \u3042\u308c\u306f\u5c71\u3067\u3059\u3002
\n Are wa yama desu.
\n \u201cThat is a mountain.\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n

The object is distant \u2014 not with you, nor with the listener.<\/p>\n\n

\u3069\u308c (dore) \u2013 \u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/h2>\n

Used when choosing among three or more items.<\/p>\n

Think:<\/em> \u201cwhich one (of these)?\u201d<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong>
\n \u3069\u308c\u304c\u3042\u306a\u305f\u306e\u304b\u3070\u3093\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f
\n Dore ga anata no kaban desu ka?
\n \u201cWhich one is your bag?\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n

This is the question word \u2014 used when you don\u2019t know which item is being referred to.<\/p>\n\n

Quick Visual Guide<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Pronoun<\/th>\n Meaning<\/th>\n Proximity<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
\u3053\u308c<\/td>\n this one<\/td>\n Near speaker<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\u305d\u308c<\/td>\n that one<\/td>\n Near listener<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\u3042\u308c<\/td>\n that one over there<\/td>\n Far from both<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\u3069\u308c<\/td>\n which one?<\/td>\n Unknown (choosing)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n\n

Bonus Tip: No Nouns Needed<\/h2>\n

All four of these are pronouns, meaning they stand alone. So don\u2019t use them directly with nouns.<\/p>\n

Correct usage:<\/strong> \u3053\u308c\u306f\u672c\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/code>
\n Translation: \u201cThis is a book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incorrect usage:<\/strong> \u3053\u308c\u672c\u306f\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/code>
\n Explanation: This is incorrect because demonstrative pronouns like \u3053\u308c shouldn\u2019t be used directly before a noun.<\/p>\n\n

If you do want to use them with nouns, use the adjective forms instead:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u3053\u306e<\/strong> (this + noun)<\/li>\n
  • \u305d\u306e<\/strong> (that + noun)<\/li>\n
  • \u3042\u306e<\/strong> (that over there + noun)<\/li>\n
  • \u3069\u306e<\/strong> (which + noun)<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n

    Example:<\/strong>
    \n \u3053\u306e\u672c\u306f\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002
    \n Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu.
    \n \u201cThis book is interesting.\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n\n

    Wrap-up: Mastering \u3053\u308c, \u305d\u308c, \u3042\u308c, and \u3069\u308c<\/h2>\n

    Here\u2019s the essential idea:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u3053\u308c<\/strong> = near me<\/li>\n
    • \u305d\u308c<\/strong> = near you<\/li>\n
    • \u3042\u308c<\/strong> = over there<\/li>\n
    • \u3069\u308c<\/strong> = which one?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n

      Once you connect them to distance and point of view, they stop being a headache. Practice with real objects around you, and they\u2019ll click in no time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      If you\u2019re learning Japanese, you\u2019ve probably come across these four little words: \u3053\u308c, \u305d\u308c, \u3042\u308c, and \u3069\u308c. They\u2019re part of the demonstrative pronoun family \u2014 used to point things out. At first glance, they all seem to mean \u201cthis,\u201d \u201cthat,\u201d or \u201cwhich,\u201d and it gets confusing fast. But the difference between them is simple once […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1205,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203\/revisions\/1205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}