Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 7: 4/13

どのWhich (of three or more), What (kind)

どの precedes a noun, どれ follows a noun

Structure

Demonstrative, どの + Noun

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Fixed Adjective

  • Word Type

    Independent Word

  • Register

    Standard

About どの

どの is classified as a 'pre-noun adjectival' in Japanese. These are a special type of word that do not conjugate, which means that they will always appear in the same form. どの comes from the same family of words as どれ and どこ, and is used for asking about 'which' thing someone will choose.

In these examples, we can see that どの may be used to ask a question, or it may also be used in a similar way to 'whatever', or 'whichever' in English.

Caution

どの is only used when there are 3 or more possible choices, and どっち)・どちら) will be used when there are only 2 possible choices.

  • (あか)(あお)どっちいい
    Do you prefer red or blue?
  • どの(いろ)()
    What color do you like?

In the first example, the speaker is asking specifically about 2 options 'red or blue', so どっち will be used. However, in the second example, since the answer could be any color, どの will be used instead.

Examples

--:--

    どの寿司屋(すしや)いいです

    Which sushi restaurant is good?

    どのレストラン()

    Which restaurant will you go to?

    どのブランド(えら)びます

    Which brand will you choose?

    どのパソコン()です

    Which computer do you like?

    どの(ちゃ)()ます

    Which tea will you drink?

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        • Genki I 2nd Edition

          Page 63

        • [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

          Page 13

        • みんなの日本語 I

          Page 105 [CH 16]

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      どの – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (1 in total)

      • LotBlind

        LotBlind

        Feels a bit confusing to say “done follows a noun” since it doesn’t have to come after anything.

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