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All Grammar

This / That + Noun | この・その・あの

This ~, that ~, that ~ over there (before a noun)

N5この + noun | その + noun | あの + noun | どの + noun?
N5Japanese Grammar

This ~, that ~, that ~ over there (before a noun)

Formation:この + noun | その + noun | あの + noun | どの + noun?

This Noun, That Noun

この, その, and あの go right before a noun: この本(ほん) (this book), その人(ひと) (that person). Unlike これ・それ・あれ, they can't stand alone. Our lesson on talking about yourself uses この/その/あの in real conversations.

Distance Chart

Word Distance Example
この Near speaker この本(ほん) (this book)
その Near listener その本(ほん) (that book)
あの Far from both あの本(ほん) (that book over there)
どの Question どの本(ほん)？ (which book?)

この vs これ

  • これ/それ/あれ: stand alone ("this one," "that one")
  • この/その/あの: need a noun after them ("this book," "that person")
Standalone + Noun
これはいい。(This is good.) この本(ほん)はいい。(This book is good.)
それをください。(Give me that.) その傘(かさ)をください。(Give me that umbrella.)

どの (Which ~?)

どの asks "which ~?" When どの + noun is the subject, use が:

  • どのお菓子(かし)が一番(いちばん)おいしいですか。
    Which sweet is the tastiest?

あの for Shared Knowledge

あの is also used when both people know what's being talked about, even if it's not physically visible:

あの映画(えいが)、見(み)た？ (Did you see that movie? — one you both know about)

Example Sentences

この文(ぶん)はチェックが必要(ひつよう)です。
This sentence needs to be checked.

その赤(あか)ちゃんの世話(せわ)は誰(だれ)がしますか。
Who will look after that baby?

あの人(ひと)は誰(だれ)ですか。
Who is that person?

どの色(いろ)がいいですか。
Which color is good?