Pointing and asking the price: これ・それ・あれ
これ／それ／あれ は いくらですか。
これ (near me), それ (near you), あれ (far away), どれ (which one?) replace a noun. いくらですか asks the price.
In short
これ = this (near me), それ = that (near you), あれ = that over there (far from both of us). To ask a price: “いくらですか” (how much is it?).
- これは いくらですか。kore wa ikura desu kaHow much is this?
- それは 百円です。sore wa hyaku-en desuThat's a hundred yen.
- あれは なんですか。are wa nan desu kaWhat's that over there?
The basics: near me, near you, far away
Japanese divides space into three zones, marked by the syllables こ, そ and あ. これ is what's near the speaker, それ what's near the listener, あれ what's far from both. どれ asks “which one?”.
These words are used on their own, in place of a noun: “これは ほんです”, “this is a book”.
| Word | Zone | English |
|---|---|---|
| これ | near me | this |
| それ | near you | that (there, by you) |
| あれ | far from both of us | that (over there) |
| どれ | question | which one? |
Asking the price
The most useful sentence in Japan: point at something and ask いくらですか (how much is it?). The seller answers with the price and えん (yen).
- これは いくらですか。kore wa ikura desu kaHow much is this?
- それは 三百えんです。sore wa sanbyaku en desuThat's three hundred yen.
Answering これ and それ
The zones change when the point of view changes. If the person you're talking to asks “これは なんですか” while showing something they're holding, you answer with それ: the object is near them, so far from you.
- これは なんですか。——それは ペンです。kore wa nan desu ka. sore wa pen desuWhat's this? — It's a pen.
Common mistakes
- Answering これ to a question asked with これ: the object is near the other person, so you say それ.
- Putting a noun right after これ: “これ ほん” is wrong, you say この ほん (covered in the next lesson).
- Using これ for a person: it's rude, you say こちら (this person).
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Hanzomon Line (This, that, who, where) of the Tokyo subway.