Expressions· 10 そんじょそこら anywhere; here and there · common; run-of-the-mill; ordinary それまで until then; up to that time · to that extent; that much · the end of it; all there is to it Show 5 more Show fewer そこまで that far; to that extent; so much · stop!; that's enough!; not one step further! それでこそ just what you'd expect from ...; that's just like ...; that's exactly why ... それはそうと anyway; by the way; incidentally; well; to change the subject それにつけても even so; be that as it may; still それはそうとして anyway; by the way; incidentally; to change the subject Related words それ is the modern demonstrative pronoun for 'that'; 其 is its classical/archaic predecessor with the same distal meaning.
あれ is the modern pronoun for something distant from both speaker and listener; 其 covered this same distal sense in classical Japanese.
彼 is the modern third-person pronoun for 'he'; 其 was a gender-neutral archaic pronoun that could mean 'he', 'she', or 'that person'.
Word family· 27 that; the · part; section; number · um; er; uh
as is; without change; unchanged · just like; exactly like; very similar · immediately; right after; without pause
but still; even so; nevertheless
so; therefore; accordingly; then
so; therefore; and then
Show 18 more Show fewer that way; that direction · there; that place · that one; that · you; your side · that person
or; or else
in its own way; as it is; accordingly · within its limits; to the extent possible
if that's the case; if so; then
well; right; now · so; then · if that is the case; in that case; that way · bye then
around there; that area · that; that matter; that point · about that much; approximately that amount; thereabouts; (or) so
besides; in addition; also; moreover
and then; also; in addition
that; it · then; that time; that point · there · you
he; she; that person; that guy · that; that one; that thing
there (near listener) · there (place just mentioned); that place · then; that point · you
come on; hurry up · yeah; that's right; exactly
there; that way · you
what's more; moreover; at that · even so; and yet
that; there
that place; there · you
you
eighth month of the lunar calendar
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Written forms 其そ
Archaic kanji spelling for the demonstrative pronoun そ . Rarely used in modern Japanese; the kana form そ is more common in classical contexts.
そ Usage 100%
Kana spelling of the archaic pronoun. This is the most practical form for learners encountering classical texts.
夫そ
Alternate archaic kanji spelling, even rarer than 其 . Not used in modern writing.
Etymology Derived from the Old Japanese demonstrative root so- (そ ), which indicated distance from the speaker. The kanji 其 and 夫 were borrowed from Chinese for their similar meanings, but the word itself is native Japanese.
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