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7. This and That

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こんにちは
Hello
これは何ですか
What is this?
それは水です
That's water
どうぞ
Here you go
ありがとうございます
Thank you
この水、いいです
This water is good
あれも水ですか
Is that over there water too?
いいえ
No
あれは水じゃありません
That over there is not water
その物は何ですか
What is that thing?
どれですか
Which one?
あの物です
That thing over there
あれも水じゃない
That's not water either
あの人は誰ですか
Who is that person over there?
あの人は先生です
That person over there is a teacher
この人は学生です
This person is a student
その人も学生ですか
Is that person also a student?
いいえ
No
いいえ
No
あれは水じゃありません
That over there is not water
その物は何ですか
What is that thing?
どれですか
Which one?
あの物です
That thing over there
その人は学生じゃありません
That person is not a student
先生です
They're a teacher
どの人ですか
Which person?
あの人です
That person over there
いいえ
No
あれは水じゃありません
That over there is not water
その物は何ですか
What is that thing?
どれですか
Which one?
あの物です
That thing over there

Cultural Notes

The ko-so-a-do system

Japanese sorts everything by distance from the speaker. これ/この is close to you, それ/その is close to the listener, and あれ/あの is far from both of you. Once you spot this pattern, you can guess new words — どれ/どの always means "which."

Pointing is rude in Japan

In Japan, pointing at people or objects with your finger is considered rude. Instead, people gesture with an open hand, palm up. When you use これ, それ, or あれ in real life, use a gentle open-hand gesture rather than pointing.

あの as a conversation filler

You will often hear あの used at the start of a sentence as a filler — like saying "um" or "well" in English. It is a polite, soft way to get someone's attention or pause before speaking. It is different from あの meaning "that over there."