This one, that one, and which one
You can point something out without naming it. Japanese makes a distinction that English “that” often leaves to context.
Learn
これ points to something near the speaker: “this.” それ points to something near the listener: “that near you.” あれ points to something away from both: “that over there.” English often uses “that” for both それ and あれ; learn the distance from the two people, not just the English word.
| これ | それ | あれ | どれ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| meaning | this one | that one | that one over there | which one? |
| location | near me | near you | away from both of us | — |
The choice depends on who is speaking. A book in your hand can be これ when you talk about it, but それ when I talk to you about it. It is not a fixed distance measured in feet or meters.
These words stand in for the thing itself. これ は 本 です means “This is a book.” To say “this book,” use the other series: この 本. Do not put a noun directly after これ.
Examples
これ は 本 です。
This is a book.
lit. This [near me]: a book.
それ は 傘 です。
That is an umbrella.
あれ は 駅 です。
That over there is the station.
傘 は どれ です か。
Which one is the umbrella?