Episode 5 · JLPT N5
How to Say "That Hat's Mine Too" in Japanese
この・その・あの・も
Put the thing straight after この, その or あの to name what you are pointing at, say that one is mine too with も, and hear how a brother and sister drop the polite endings.
Did you catch it?
Listen to the conversation first, with no text, the way the video plays it. Then answer.
Listen to Yuki and her brother Kon picking up items at the school gate.
What phrase does Yuki use to say the book does NOT belong to her?
How does Kon ask whether the distant hat is also hers?
The conversation
会話Play any line again, or the whole scene. Tap a word to hear only that part. Hide the English to test yourself.
- Kon
Yuki — this umbrella?
In casual speech between family and close friends, polite endings are dropped in favor of rising intonation.
- Yuki
Yeah, mine.
- Kon
That hat over there too?
も replaces the topic particle は to mean 'also' or 'too': 'That hat over there too?'.
- Yuki
Yeah, that one's mine too.
うん is casual for 'yes/yeah'. あれ points to an object far from both speakers.
- Kon
That book by you as well?
- Yuki
Nope. Not mine.
ううん is casual for 'nope'. じゃない is the plain, colloquial equivalent of じゃありません (is not).
- Kon
Whose?
- Yuki
Oh! It's Kenji's!
- Kon
…Kenji! Your book!
- Kenji
…Oh.
Words in this scene
単語Key vocabulary introduced in this conversation. Tap any item to view its dictionary or grammar page.
The lesson
What the video teaches, to read at your own pace.
Where the thing is decides the word
Japanese has three words for pointing, and the one you say depends on where the thing is. Yuki is talking. Kon is listening. The umbrella is in Yuki's hands, so she says これ. This one. She passes it to Kon. Now it is in his hands, so she says それ. That one. Nothing about the umbrella changed. Only its place did. She sets it down, away from them both. Now it is あれ. That one over there. Here is the part many learners get wrong. Kon picks the umbrella up and walks off with it. It is far from Yuki now, but it is still それ, because it is in Kon's hands. それ means near you, however far away you are.
Name the thing
これ stands on its own. It means this one, and no name comes after it. When you name the thing, これ changes to この, and the name comes straight after it. この 傘. This umbrella. The rule is the same in every zone. In Kon's hands, その 本. That book. Away from them both, あの 帽子. That hat over there. Now look at the first sound of each word. こ is near me. そ is near you. あ is away from us both. The same three sounds come back in ここ, here, そこ, there, and あそこ, over there, so learn them once and you have them for good.
The thing drops away, の stays
- 私
- I
- の
- 傘
- umbrella
- ＿＿
- known, so it drops
Say who a thing belongs to with の. 私の 傘. My umbrella. Once everyone knows what you are talking about, the thing itself drops away. 私の. Mine. の stands where the thing stood.
Say that one too
- あれ
- that one over there
- は
- about it
- も
- too
- 私の
- mine
The particle も means too. It takes the seat of は. あれは 私の means that one is mine. あれも 私の means that one is mine too. は and も never stand side by side. One or the other.
To family and friends, the endings drop
- うん
- Yeahfamily and friends · はい to anyone
- ううん
- Nopefamily and friends · いいえ to anyone
- 私のじゃない
- Not mineじゃない · じゃありません to anyone
Kon is Yuki's big brother, so the two of them talk the way family and friends do. はい becomes うん. Yeah. いいえ becomes ううん. Nope. And じゃありません becomes じゃない. Isn't. 私のじゃない. Not mine. Learn the polite forms first, and keep the short ones for family and friends.