Definify.com
Definition 2024
あの
あの
Japanese
Adnominal
あの (romaji ano)
- 彼の: (deictically) that ... over there (far from the speaker and the addressee)
- あの車は緑です。
- Ano kuruma wa midori desu.
- That car over there is green.
- あの車は緑です。
- 彼の: (anaphorically) that ... we both know (both the speaker and the addressee know)
See also
Japanese demonstratives
| ko- “this” (close to speaker) |
so- “that” (close to listener) |
a- “that over there” (far from both) |
do- “which” (indeterminate, question) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Object | これ (kore) | それ (sore) | あれ (are) | どれ (dore) |
| これら (korera) | それら (sorera) | あれら (arera) | — | |
| Determiner | この (kono) | その (sono) | あの (ano) | どの (dono) |
| これらの (korera no) | それらの (sorera no) | あれらの (arera no) | — | |
| Kind | こんな (konna) | そんな (sonna) | あんな (anna) | どんな (donna) |
| Place | ここ (koko) | そこ (soko) | あそこ (asoko)* | どこ (doko) |
| Direction | こちら (kochira) | そちら (sochira) | あちら (achira) | どちら (dochira) |
| こっち (kotchi) | そっち (sotchi) | あっち (atchi) | どっち (dotchi) | |
| Human | こいつ (koitsu) | そいつ (soitsu) | あいつ (aitsu) | どいつ (doitsu) |
| Manner | こう (kō) | そう (sō) | ああ (ā)** | どう (dō) |
| * irregular ** regular (long vowel) | ||||
Related terms
- この (kono) this
- その (sono) that (near listener)
- どの (dono) which
- あれ (are) that one over there (far from speaker and listener)
- あそこ (asoko) that direction over there
Usage notes
- あの is also used to refer to things and experiences that both the speaker and the listener have knowledge of. Compare the two following sentences,
- あの本はやすいですか？
- Ano hon wa yasui desu ka?
- Is that book (over there, which you and I can see) cheap?
- その本はやすいですか？
- Sono hon wa yasui desu ka?
- Is that book (I'm pointing to/near you/of yours) cheap? / Is that book which you (have/saw/were talking about) cheap?
- あの本はやすいですか？
- The hiragana spelling (あの) is preferred to the kanji spelling (彼の), which is rarely used.
Interjection
あの (romaji ano)
- similar to English er or umm, said when hesitating in speech
- similar to English uh, space filler or pause during conversation
- あの…そうですね、…
- um... well, yes,...
Related terms
Usage notes
The の (no) sound is often lengthened as in あのう, あのぉ, あのー (anō).