こんな, そんな, あんな, and どんな are the “ko-so-a-do” demonstrative adjectives. They mean “this kind of,” “that kind of,” etc. — and they appear everywhere in everyday Japanese.
At a Glance
| Word | Distance | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんな | Near speaker | This kind of, like this | こんな天気 (weather like this) |
| そんな | Near listener | That kind of, like that | そんなこと (a thing like that) |
| あんな | Far from both | That kind of (over there) | あんな人 (a person like that) |
| どんな | Unknown | What kind of? | どんな映画？ (what kind of movie?) |
こんな — Near You
こんなに難しいとは思わなかった。 — I didn’t think it would be this difficult. (こんなに = to this extent)
こんな天気、珍しいね。 — Weather like this is unusual, isn’t it.
そんな — Near the Listener or Mentioned Context
そんな refers to something in the listener’s sphere or recently mentioned:
そんなに怒らないで。 — Don’t be that angry. (you are the one angry)
そんなこと言わないで。 — Don’t say things like that.
あんな — Distant from Both / Past Context
あんな refers to something far from both speaker and listener, or something remembered from the past:
あんな映画、もう見たくない。 — I don’t want to watch a movie like that again.
あんな人と付き合いたくない。 — I don’t want to date someone like that.
こんなに / そんなに / あんなに — Extent
Add に to make them mean “to this extent / that extent”:
こんなに暑いのは初めて。 — This is the first time it’s been this hot.
そんなに食べたら、お腹痛くなるよ。 — If you eat that much, your stomach will hurt.
YukaWhat’s the difference between そんな and あんな? They both seem like “that.”
Reiそんな is for things in the listener’s world or recently brought up in conversation. あんな is for things shared memories — both people know it from the past, or it’s physically distant. そんな話 = a story like what you just told. あんな映画 = that movie we both remember from a while back.
YukaAnd どんな — is it always a question?
ReiMostly yes. どんな asks “what kind of?” But in indirect questions it doesn’t need a question mark: どんな人か知らない (I don’t know what kind of person they are).
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Using こんな for something far away in memory | あんな | Shared memory/past → あんな |
| Confusing そんな and こんな in dialogue | Depends on whose sphere | こんな = your thing; そんな = their thing |
Quick Quiz
Fill in with こんな / そんな / あんな / どんな:
1. (Looking at today’s bad weather) ___天気、嫌だね。→ こんな
2. (Reacting to what a friend just said) ___こと言わないで。→ そんな
3. (Remembering a rude person from last year) ___人、もう関わりたくない。→ あんな
Practice in the Comments!
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Keep Learning: Grammar Hub | どんな vs どのような | Daily Expressions
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