Japanese word

あの

Pronunciation

Romajiano

Meaning

  • pre-noun adjectivalthat

Example

あの犬は大きいです。a no inu wa ō ki i de su

That dog is big.

Illustration for あの (that)

More examples

あの花はきれいです。a no hana wa ki re i de su

That flower is pretty.

あの映画は面白いです。a no ei ga wa omo shiro i de su

That movie is interesting.

Core concept

Frames the following noun as referring to something the speaker treats as distant, whether physically or in the conversation.

Common phrases

  • あの人a no hito

    that person

  • あの時a no toki

    that time

Similar words

そのsono: Points to a person or thing connected with the listener or with something just mentioned.
このkono: Points to a person or thing near the speaker or directly involved in the present situation.
どのdono: Requests the identification of one person or thing from a group of possible choices.

Definition in Japanese

話し手から離れた人や物を指す意味を、後に続く名詞に加える語。hana shi te ka ra hana re ta hito ya mono o sa su i mi o ato ni tsuzu ku mei shi ni kuwa e ru go

Word origin

The native Japanese form あの (ano) is made from あ (a, "that over there") and の (no, an attributive particle), which together place a distant referent before a noun.

Usage tips

  • The same spoken form あの (ano) serves as both a demonstrative before a noun and a hesitation word meaning "um," with its function shown by the surrounding sentence.

Other meanings

  • thosepre-noun adjectival
  • uminterjection

Opposites

Word lists with this word