Definify.com
Definition 2024
その
その
Japanese
Adnominal
その (romaji sono)
- 其の: (deictically) that ... near you (near the addressee)
- 私が読みたい本は、その本です。
- Watashi ga yomitai hon wa, sono hon desu.
- What I want to read is that book.
- 私が読みたい本は、その本です。
- 其の: (anaphorically) the ... we are talking about.
- 其の: of it. its.
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) | ||||
Usage notes
- その is anaphorically used to refer to things and experiences that either the speaker or the listener knows about, but not both. Compare the two following sentences,
- その本はやすいですか？
- Is that book (which we are talking about) cheap? (anaphorically)
- Is that book (I'm pointing to/near you/of yours) cheap? (deictically)
- あの本はやすいですか？
- Is the book (which we both know) cheap? (anaphorically)
- Is that book (over there, which you and I can see) cheap? (deictically)
- その本はやすいですか？
- The hiragana spelling (その) is preferred to the kanji spelling (其の), which is rarely used.
Related terms
- この (kono): (demonstrative) this
- あの (ano): (demonstrative) that (near the listener)
- どの (dono): (demonstrative) which
- そこ (soko): there
- それ (sore): it, that
- そちら (sochira): (polite) there; that direction
Pronunciation
Noun
その (romaji sono)
Proper noun
その (romaji Sono)
- 園: A surname.
Kanji reading
その (romaji sono)