当とうの

と

う

の

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

pre-noun adjectival

the ... in question; the very ...; the ... itself

Pre-noun adjectival (rentaishi) that specifies the exact person or thing being discussed, often with a nuance of 'the very one' or 'the one at issue'. Common in news and formal contexts.

当とうの本ほん人にんは何なにも知しらなかった。
The person in question knew nothing about it.
当とうの事じ件けんについて詳くわしく説せつ明めいしてください。
Please explain the incident in question in detail.

Usage patterns

当とうの〈人ひと〉the person being talked about
当とうの彼かれはその噂うわさを全まったく知しらなかった。
The very person in question knew nothing at all about the rumor.
当とうの〈物もの〉the thing itself that is being discussed
当とうの商しょう品ひんはもう売うり切きれていた。
The very product in question was already sold out.

Expressions

本ほん当とうのところin truth; actually; at heart · the truth; the real story

Kanji

当hit, right, appropriate

Related words

そのN5
その simply means 'that', while 当の emphasizes that the noun is the very one being discussed or at issue.
例れいのN1
例の points to something already known or implied between speaker and listener, while 当の specifically singles out the person or thing currently under discussion.
当とう該がい
当該 is a stiff, formal/legal term meaning 'the relevant ...', whereas 当の is more neutral and usable in everyday writing and speech.
当とうN1
当の is an adnominal form placed before a noun to mean 'the very ... in question', while 当 attaches directly as a prefix (as in 当社, 当日).

Word family

当とうの本ほん人にん
the person in question; the very person

Etymology

Compound of 当 (tō, 'this' or 'the relevant') + の (no, attributive particle). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it functions as a fixed rentaishi in modern Japanese.