「こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな」- Indicating or Inquiring About the Nature or State of Things

Explanation

In Japanese, こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな are words used to indicate or inquire about the nature or state of things. They correspond to "this kind of...", "that kind of...", "that kind of...", and "what kind of..." respectively. These words are used to describe the characteristics of objects, situations, or people and are suitable for both spoken and written language.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな	+ Noun	These words are used to describe a certain type, style, or nature of things selected from a specific range.

Basic Usage

• こんな: Used to refer to things close to the speaker.
• そんな: Used to refer to things close to the listener.
• あんな: Used to refer to things far from both the speaker and the listener.
• どんな: Used to inquire about the type or nature of something.

Examples

• こんなこんな本ほんが読よみたい。
• Konna hon ga yomitai.
• I want to read a book like this.
  

• そんなそんな問題もんだいは簡単かんたんです。
• Sonna mondai wa kantan desu.
• That kind of problem is easy.
  

• あんなあんな風景ふうけいは見みたことがない。
• Anna fuukei wa mita koto ga nai.
• I've never seen a view like that.
  

• どんなどんな映画えいがが好すきですか？
• Donna eiga ga suki desu ka?
• What kind of movies do you like?
  

Deep Dive

こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな are demonstrative words that mean "this kind of...", "that kind of...", "that kind of...", and "what kind of..." respectively.

• こんな: Refers to things close to the speaker or recently mentioned. Example: こんなに美味おいしい食べ物たべものは初はじめてです。
• そんな: Refers to things close to the listener or recently mentioned. Example: そんなに高たかい値段ねだんでは買かえません。
• あんな: Refers to things far from both the speaker and the listener. Example: あんなに大おおきな建物たてものは見みたことがありません。
• どんな: Used to inquire about the type or nature of something. Example: どんな仕事しごとをしているのですか？

Comparison and Differences

A common mistake is confusing こんな with こういう, and そんな with そういう. The former emphasizes specific things, while the latter leans towards general or abstract concepts.

Word	Usage	Example
こんな	Refers to things close to the speaker	こんな花はなを見みたことがありますか？
こういう	Refers to things mentioned by the speaker	こういう問題もんだいは難むずかしいです。

Word	Usage	Example
そんな	Refers to things close to the listener	そんな話はなしは信しんじられない。
そういう	Refers to things mentioned by the listener	そういう考かんがえ方かたは理解りかいできない。

Real-Life Scenarios

In everyday conversations, these demonstrative words are often used to describe specific situations or inquire about preferences. For example:

• こんなこんな映画えいがは面白おもしろいですね。
• Konna eiga wa omoshiroi desu ne.
• This kind of movie is interesting.
  

Summary

こんな、そんな、あんな、どんな are important words in Japanese used to describe the nature or state of things. Mastering their usage and differences will help improve the accuracy and vividness of your Japanese expressions.