Japanese word

こんな

Pronunciation

Romajikonna

Meaning

  • pre-noun adjectivallike this

Example

私はこんな服を着ます。watashi wa ko n na fuku o ki ma su

I wear clothes like this.

Illustration for こんな (like this)

More examples

こんな景色を見たことがあります。ko n na keshiki o mi ta ko to ga a ri ma su

I have seen scenery like this before.

Core concept

Places a noun in the kind or category indicated by the speaker's gesture, words, or situation.

Common phrases

  • こんな時ko n na toki

    at a time like this

  • こんな話ko n na hanashi

    a story like this

  • こんなことko n na ko to

    something like this

Similar words

そんなsonna: Places a noun in a category related to the listener, previous speech, or a familiar situation.
あんなanna: Places a noun in a category related to something distant from the speaker or the current situation.
どんなdonna: Seeks to identify the kind or category of a noun.

Definition in Japanese

目の前にあるものや話題にしたものと同じようなものを表す語。me no mae ni a ru mo no ya wa dai ni shi ta mo no to ona ji yō na mo no o arawa su go

Word origin

こんな (konna) developed as a shortened spoken form of このような (kono yō na), combining この (kono, "this") with ような (yō na, "of the kind").

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, こんな (konna) usually comes before a noun, making it useful for describing a thing as being like the one already shown or discussed.

Other meanings

  • this kind ofpre-noun adjectival

Word lists with this word