What is the difference between "ことし", "これ", "今月", "今回"?

"ことし" means "this year", "これ" means "this (thing near speaker)", "今月" means "this month", "今回" means "this time".

Quadruple VS

Synonym Boundary: "ことし", "これ", "今月", "今回"

All represent the core concept "this", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

ことし (kotoshi)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

これ (kore)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

こんげつ (kongetsu)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

こんかい (konkai)

N3 / CEFR

When expressing "this" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "ことし", "これ", "今月", "今回" based on context.

ことし (ことし (kotoshi) - Level: N5): Maps to "this year" and is used when Refers to the current year. Often used as a noun indicating a specific time..
これ (これ (kore) - Level: N5): Maps to "this (thing near speaker)" and is used when Demonstrative pronoun referring to a thing near the speaker. Forms the 'ko' series of demonstratives..
今月 (こんげつ (kongetsu) - Level: N5): Maps to "this month" and is used when Refers to the current month. Used for plans or events occurring within the present month..
今回 (こんかい (konkai) - Level: N3): Maps to "this time" and is used when Refers to the current occasion or instance, distinguishing it from previous or future occasions. Often used to set the context for a specific event or action..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "ことし"

ことしは日本へ行きます。

I will go to Japan this year.

Context for "これ"

これは私のペンです。

This is my pen.

Context for "今月"

今月は私の誕生日があります。

My birthday is this month.

Context for "今回"

今回の試験は前回より難しかった。

This exam was more difficult than the last one.

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: " ＿＿＿は日本へ行きます。" (Meaning: "I will go to Japan this year.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "ことし" is correct here because it represents "this year" in the context: "I will go to Japan this year.".