Ch 1 · Lesson 28Japanese · Chapter 1 · Lesson 28 · Themed review
Here, there, over there
, , , : four prefixes that build this, that, that over there and which, and the same pattern again for here and where.
Practise this lesson
12-word session
A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.
Worth knowing
Japanese builds this, that and which from four prefixes
English has this and that. Japanese has three distances, and a fourth prefix that asks the question. Learn the four prefixes once and twelve words fall out of them.
| prefix | where it points | thing | before a noun | place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| こ (ko) | near me, the speaker | | | |
| (so) | near you, the listener | | | |
| あ (a) | away from both of us | | | not in this chapter |
| (do) | which? | | not in this chapter | |
Two words for that
The one English speakers trip on is that. Japanese splits it by whose side the thing is on. is the thing near you, the person I am talking to. is the thing over there, away from both of us.
So if you are holding a book and I ask about it, I say 。, what is that? If we are both looking at a building down the road, it is 。
Thing or noun?
stands on its own: 。, this is a book. never does. It needs a noun after it: , this book. The same goes for and , and for and . Saying with nothing after it is like saying "my" and stopping, and a Japanese listener waits for the rest.
The question words
is which one, and is where, from the same ど prefix. The other two questions here do not follow the pattern: is who and is what. Put any of them where the answer would go, add か, and you have a question: 。, where is the toilet?