Yesterday we learned “Kore”. Kore, Sore, and Are are pronouns and one of the word groups of “Ko-So-A words”. Yesterday I wrote that Kore, Sore, and Are are corresponding to “This”, “It”, and “That”, respectively. Another definition is like; Kore is a thing here or near, Sore is a thing in middle distance, Are is a thing that is in distant place. However, “Sore” is not so simple. If a speaker and a listener are together in limited space like inside taxi, the definition “Sore is in middle distance” is okay. But in many situations, what is Sore for a speaker can be Kore for a listener.
– Kore : a thing very near to the speaker and the listener
– Sore : a thing a little distant from the speaker but very near to the listener
– Are : a thing far from both of the speaker and the listener
Suppose that there is a dictionary on the table. Person A and B are standing by the table and they are face to face.
A : Kore wa nan desuka. (What is this?)
B : Kore wa Jisho desu. (This is a dictionary.)
This is yesterday’s conversation.
Different from the situation above, suppose that Person A and B are standing face to face with the distance of 2 meters (6 feet) between the two. The person B has a smartphone on her hand.
A : Sore wa nan desuka. (What is it?)
B : Kore wa Sumaatofon desu. (This is a smartphone.)
Agony or Fun?! Second Language Learning 