“Kono” in Japanese works as a determiner like “this”, explained

What does “kono” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people often say “kono” to mean ‘this’ in Japanese. It works as a determiner before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. In this blog post, I will explain this word and how to use it though example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kono”
• Example #1: “kono” as a Japanese determiner
• Example #2: another usage of “kono”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kono”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kono”.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker.

Japanese people often use “kono” before a noun to call a thing close to them. Its role is quite similar to that of the English determiner, “this”. In fact, it is often translated as “this”.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Sometimes, however, Japanese learners confuse this determiner and “kore” which can also be translated as “this”. Still, these two words are very different. “Kono” works as a determiner before a noun; “kore” works as a pronoun meaning ‘this’.

Then, let me explain how to use “kono” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: “kono” as a Japanese determiner

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• shashin – 写真 (しゃしん) : a noun meaning ‘photo’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after “shashin” to make the object word in the sentence.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say to whom an action is heading. In the example, it is used to say the action is heading to “kare”.
• mise – 見せ (みせ) : one conjugation of the verb, “miseru”, which means ‘to show’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make its desire form. Probably this is well known as a part of Japanese tai form. In the example, it is used after the conjugated verb, “mise”, to make its desire form, “mise tai”, which means ‘to want to show’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “kono”. In the example, it works as a determiner before the noun, “shashin”. So, the listener can understand that the photo is close to the speaker. As the translation shows, the role of “kono” is quite similar to that of “this” in English.

Example #2: another usage of “kono”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after the noun phrase, “kono gakkou”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb used to emphasize its following word with the meaning of ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘quite’, or such. In the example, it is used to emphasize the meaning of its following word, “ōkii”.
• ōkii – 大きい (おおきい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘large’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “kono”. In this example, it works as a determiner before the noun, “gakkou”, which seems to be close to the speaker.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “kono” as a Japanese determiner and how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. It can work in a similar way that the English determiner, “this”, does. In fact, it is often translated into English as “this.”

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.