{"id":1226,"date":"2025-11-29T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2025-11-14T01:43:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:43:03","slug":"how-to-use-%e3%81%93%e3%81%ae-%e3%81%9d%e3%81%ae-%e3%81%82%e3%81%ae-before-nouns-in-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/japanese\/how-to-use-%e3%81%93%e3%81%ae-%e3%81%9d%e3%81%ae-%e3%81%82%e3%81%ae-before-nouns-in-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use \u3053\u306e, \u305d\u306e, \u3042\u306e Before Nouns in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re learning Japanese, you\u2019ve probably come across \u3053\u306e<\/strong> (kono), \u305d\u306e<\/strong> (sono), and \u3042\u306e<\/strong> (ano). They look and sound similar, and they all seem to mean \u201cthis\u201d or \u201cthat,\u201d which can be confusing. But they\u2019re not interchangeable \u2014 and using them correctly can really improve your Japanese fluency.<\/p>\n\n

\n

What Are \u3053\u306e, \u305d\u306e, and \u3042\u306e?<\/h2>\n

These are demonstrative words used to point to specific nouns \u2014 similar to \u201cthis\u201d and \u201cthat\u201d in English. But here’s the key difference:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • In Japanese, \u3053\u306e<\/strong>, \u305d\u306e<\/strong>, and \u3042\u306e<\/strong> must always be followed by a noun.<\/li>\n
  • They cannot<\/strong> stand on their own.<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

    Compare these examples:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u3053\u306e\u672c<\/strong> (kono hon) = this book (near the speaker)<\/li>\n
    • \u305d\u306e\u4eba<\/strong> (sono hito) = that person (near the listener)<\/li>\n
    • \u3042\u306e\u5e97<\/strong> (ano mise) = that store (over there)<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

      You can\u2019t say \u201c\u3053\u306e<\/strong>\u201d by itself. If you want to say \u201cthis\u201d alone\u2014as a stand-alone word\u2014you\u2019d use \u3053\u308c<\/strong> instead. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n

      \n

      How to Use \u3053\u306e, \u305d\u306e, \u3042\u306e<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
      Japanese<\/th>\n Romaji<\/th>\n Meaning<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
      \u3053\u306e<\/td>\n kono<\/td>\n this [noun] (near the speaker)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
      \u305d\u306e<\/td>\n sono<\/td>\n that [noun] (near the listener)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
      \u3042\u306e<\/td>\n ano<\/td>\n that [noun] (over there)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n\n

      \u3053\u306e \u2013 \u201cThis [noun] near me\u201d<\/h3>\n

      Use \u3053\u306e<\/strong> when the object is close to the speaker.<\/p>\n

      Example:<\/strong>
      \n \u3053\u306e\u30da\u30f3\u306f\u79c1\u306e\u3067\u3059\u3002
      \n This pen is mine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

      \u305d\u306e \u2013 \u201cThat [noun] near you\u201d<\/h3>\n

      Use \u305d\u306e<\/strong> when the object is closer to the listener.<\/p>\n

      Example:<\/strong>
      \n \u305d\u306e\u304b\u3070\u3093\u306f\u65b0\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u306d\u3002
      \n That bag near you is new, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n

      \u3042\u306e \u2013 \u201cThat [noun] over there\u201d<\/h3>\n

      Use \u3042\u306e<\/strong> when the object is far from both the speaker and the listener.<\/p>\n

      Example:<\/strong>
      \n \u3042\u306e\u5c71\u306f\u5bcc\u58eb\u5c71\u3067\u3059\u3002
      \n That mountain over there is Mt. Fuji.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n

      \n

      Quick Tip: Pair with Nouns Only<\/h2>\n

      Think of it like this:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • \u3053\u306e + noun<\/strong> is correct<\/li>\n
      • \u305d\u306e + noun<\/strong> is correct<\/li>\n
      • \u3042\u306e + noun<\/strong> is correct<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

        But:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • \u274c\u3053\u306e\u3060\u3051<\/strong> <\/li>\n
        • \u2705\u3053\u308c\u3060\u3051<\/strong> (\u201conly this\u201d)<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

          If there\u2019s no noun right after, you\u2019ll need to use the independent form instead:<\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
          Adjective Form<\/th>\n Independent Form<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
          \u3053\u306e<\/td>\n \u3053\u308c<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
          \u305d\u306e<\/td>\n \u305d\u308c<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
          \u3042\u306e<\/td>\n \u3042\u308c<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n <\/section>\n\n
          \n

          Why It Matters<\/h2>\n

          Using the correct demonstrative word makes your Japanese sound more natural and specific. It also prevents confusion. Imagine pointing at something across the room and calling it \u201cthis\u201d\u2014it might confuse people or sound strange in Japanese.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n

          \n

          Practice Time<\/h2>\n

          Try filling in the blanks:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \u79c1\u306e\u8fd1\u304f\u306e\u72ac\u306f\u304b\u308f\u3044\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002
            \u2192 (this dog)<\/strong> \u2192 ______\u72ac<\/li>\n
          2. ______\u672c\u306f\u3042\u306a\u305f\u306e\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f
            \u2192 (the book near you)<\/strong><\/li>\n
          3. ______\u306f\u5148\u751f\u3067\u3059\u3002
            \u2192 (that person over there)<\/strong><\/li>\n <\/ol>\n

            Answers:<\/h3>\n
              \n
            • \u3053\u306e\u72ac<\/li>\n
            • \u305d\u306e\u672c<\/li>\n
            • \u3042\u306e\u4eba<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/section>\n\n
              \n

              Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

              Mastering \u3053\u306e<\/strong>, \u305d\u306e<\/strong>, and \u3042\u306e<\/strong> makes a big difference in how clearly and naturally you can express yourself in Japanese. They\u2019re some of the most basic building blocks of daily communication.<\/p>\n

              Want to practice? Try pointing at things around you and naming them out loud:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • \u3053\u306e\u3048\u3093\u3074\u3064 (this pencil)<\/li>\n
              • \u305d\u306e\u30ce\u30fc\u30c8 (that notebook)<\/li>\n
              • \u3042\u306e\u30c6\u30ec\u30d3 (that TV over there)<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

                It might feel silly at first \u2014 but it works. Keep practicing. You\u2019re closer than you think.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                If you\u2019re learning Japanese, you\u2019ve probably come across \u3053\u306e (kono), \u305d\u306e (sono), and \u3042\u306e (ano). They look and sound similar, and they all seem to mean \u201cthis\u201d or \u201cthat,\u201d which can be confusing. But they\u2019re not interchangeable \u2014 and using them correctly can really improve your Japanese fluency. What Are \u3053\u306e, \u305d\u306e, and \u3042\u306e? These […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","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\/1226","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=1226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1228,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226\/revisions\/1228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}