means "which" and comes in front of a noun:
is "which book". It asks someone to pick one out of three or more.
It is one of a set of four:
- – this …, near the speaker
- – that …, near the listener
- – that … over there, away from both
- – which …
。
Which person is the teacher?
The answer uses , or .
きごう「。きごう」きごう「。きごう」
"Which person is Tanaka?" "That person over there."
どの vs. どちら
needs at least three things to choose from. Between two, the word is
, or
in front of a noun.
、。
Which would you like, coffee or tea?
。
Which drink would you like?
どの vs. どれ
stands alone, the way "which one" does.
needs its noun.
。
Which one would you like?
。
Which color would you like?
- × どれ色がいいですか → どの色がいいですか
- × どのがいいですか → どれがいいですか
どの + noun takes が, not は
A question word cannot be the topic of a question, so the noun after takes where a plain noun would take は. ×どの本は面白いですか is wrong.
。
Which book is interesting?
Usage notes
These go beyond the plain question.
どのくらい
, also said
, asks "how long", "how far" or "how much".
。
How long does it take to get to the station?
どの … も
Example value={。} translation={Every room is quiet.} />
Lingaku