Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "あの人", "あれ", "そちら", "そのため"
All represent the core concept "that", but require precise selection.
Japanese Option A
あの人
あのひと (ano hito)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option B
あれ
あれ (are)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option C
そちら
そちら (sochira)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option D
そのため
そのため (sono tame)
N4 / CEFR
Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "that" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "あの人", "あれ", "そちら", "そのため" based on context.
- あの人 (あのひと (ano hito) - Level: N5): Maps to "that person; he; she" and is used when A polite way to refer to someone who is not present or who is slightly distant. 「あの方.
- あれ (あれ (are) - Level: N5): Maps to "that (over there)" and is used when 指示詞の一つで、話し手からも聞き手からも遠いものや場所、あるいは以前に話題になったことを指すのに使います。主に名詞の代わりとして使われます。英語の "that" や "that one" に相当します。.
- そちら (そちら (sochira) - Level: N5): Maps to "that way, that place; that person (polite)" and is used when Polite equivalent of それ.
- そのため (そのため (sono tame) - Level: N4): Maps to "for that reason, therefore" and is used when A conjunction used to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship, where the preceding statement is the reason for the following one. More formal than 「だから」..
Context for "あの人"
あの人はだれですか。
Who is that person?
Context for "あれ"
あれは私の傘です。
That (over there) is my umbrella.
Context for "そちら"
そちらの天気はどうですか。 / 彼はそちらにいますか。
How is the weather there (near you)? / Is he over there (near you)?
Context for "そのため"
昨日は雨が降った。そのため、運動会は中止になった。
It rained yesterday. For that reason, the sports day was cancelled.
Synonym Mastery Challenge
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: " ＿＿＿ はだれですか。" (Meaning: "Who is that person?")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "あの人" is correct here because it represents "that person; he; she" in the context: "Who is that person?".