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This Thing, That thing with これ, それ & あれ

In English, when talking about unnamed things - either because we don't know the word for that thing, or because it is deliberately omitted - we use the words 'this' and 'that'.

In Japanese, the same is achieved with the words これ, それ and あれ.

The difference between the words comes down to the positioning of the object relative to the speaker and listener.

Usage​

  • これ - used when talking about a thing near to the speaker, in the same way that you would use 'this' in English.
  • それ - used when talking about something that is closer to the listener than to the speaker, equivalent to 'that'.
  • あれ - used when talking about something that is close to neither the speaker nor the listener, again equivalent to the English word 'that'.
  • どれ - an interrogative meaning which, for example どれですか。 (Which one?). Used as a sentence beginning interrogative, どれ must be followed by が.

Example Sentences​

  • これ何？
    What is this?

  • あなたのベッドの下でこれを見つけました。
    I found this under your bed.

  • わあ、なつかしい！これ、あたしが５歳の時の写真だよ。
    Wow, this brings back memories. This is a picture of when I was five years old.

  • それが何かわかりません。
    I don't know what that is.

  • それはリンゴみたいです。
    It looks like an apple.

  • これとあれはどういう関係があるの。
    How is this connected to that?

  • あれがあなたの新しい本？
    Is that your new book?