this person; this gentleman; this lady
Polite pronoun used to refer to a third person, similar to この人 but more respectful. Often used when the speaker does not know the person's name.
Who is this person?
This gentleman is the new department head.
since; for the past ...
Used after a time expression to mean 'since' or 'for the past (period)'. Often follows a noun indicating a point in time or a duration. Sense 2 is a specific instance of sense 1, emphasizing a continuous period up to now.
I have never been abroad since I was born.
I have been living in this town for the past ten years.
この方 is more polite and respectful than この人, which is neutral and can be used for anyone.
こちら is a polite directional pronoun that can also mean 'this person', but この方 is more explicitly person-referring and slightly more formal.
この方 refers to a person close to the speaker ('this person'), while あの方 refers to someone distant from both speaker and listener ('that person').
Standard kanji spelling for the pronoun and temporal adverb uses.
Rarely used kanji form.
Compound of この (this) and 方 (person/direction). The temporal use likely developed from the spatial metaphor of 'from this direction/point'.