Questions and Demonstratives
Describing Noun Types and Expressing Emotion
こんな modifies a noun to point to something physically or psychologically close to the speaker, describing its type or nature. Japanese speakers use it to express a desire for a specific item, or to show surprise about a current situation. This demonstrative is often translated as this kind of or like this, but it cannot stand alone and must directly precede a noun.
01Main Functions
Describing Nouns Close to the Speaker
こんな directly modifies a noun to describe its type or nature as being like something physically close to you.
こんなカメラが欲しいです。
(I) want this kind of camera.
Expressing Surprise or Emotion
こんな emphasizes a speaker's emotional reaction, such as surprise or disbelief, toward a specific thing or situation.
こんな所にレストランがあります。
There is a restaurant in a place like this.
Showing Dislike or Rejection
こんな in negative sentences shows a speaker's distaste or strong rejection of something.
こんな雑誌は読みません。
(I) do not read this kind of magazine.
02Sentence Pattern
こんな + noun + が i-adjective です
こんなカメラが欲しいです。
(I) want this kind of camera.
こんな modifies a noun to specify the type of item the speaker desires.
こんな + noun + に verb ます
こんな所にレストランがあります。
There is a restaurant in a place like this.
こんな describes a location. The verb shows the existence of something in that specific place.
こんな + noun + は verb ません
こんな雑誌は読みません。
(I) do not read this kind of magazine.
こんな with a negative verb emphasizes rejection. The particle は replaces を to highlight the rejected topic.
こんな + noun + を + verb ます
こんな音楽をよく聞きます。
(I) often listen to this kind of music.
こんな describes a specific type of object that receives a habitual action.
こんな + noun + です
好きな本はこんな本です。
The book (I) like is a book like this.
こんな directly modifies a predicate noun to explain what something is like.
こんな + noun + ですか
探しているのはこんな鞄ですか。
Is the one (you) are looking for a bag like this?
こんな asks questions to confirm if an item close to you matches what the listener wants.
こんな + noun + は i-adjective です
こんなケーキは美味しいです。
A cake like this is delicious.
こんな modifies the subject of the sentence, describing the type of thing that holds a certain quality.
03Example Sentences
こんなカメラが欲しいです。
(I) want this kind of camera.
こんな specifies the type of item you want, pointing to something close to you.
こんな所にレストランがあります。
There is a restaurant in a place like this.
こんな emphasizes a speaker's surprise about the location.
こんな雑誌は読みません。
(I) do not read this kind of magazine.
こんな in a negative sentence shows strong rejection or distaste for that type of item.
毎日こんな音楽を聞きます。
(I) listen to this kind of music every day.
こんな describes a specific type of object that receives a habitual action.
私の部屋はこんな部屋です。
My room is a room like this.
こんな directly modifies a predicate noun to describe what something is like.
あなたの鞄はこんな鞄ですか。
Is your bag a bag like this?
こんな asks questions to confirm if an item close to you matches the listener's item.
こんな料理は辛いですか。
Is this kind of food spicy?
こんな modifies the noun topic, and the i-adjective asks about its qualities.
昨日こんな映画を見ました。
(I) watched a movie like this yesterday.
こんな refers to the type of thing you interacted with in the past.
こんな本が好き？
Do (you) like this kind of book?
Casual speech can drop polite endings to ask a quick question about someone's preferences.
こんな日は家にいたいです。
(I) want to stay home on a day like this.
こんな implies a reaction to the current conditions, such as bad weather or extreme heat.
こんな靴は高くないです。
Shoes like this are not expensive.
A negative i-adjective describes the general characteristics of a specific type of item.
こんな人は好きではありません。
(I) do not like this kind of person.
こんな used with people often carries a negative, critical, or dismissive tone.
04Comparisons
こんな vs. そんな
こんな points to a type of thing that is physically or psychologically close to the speaker or their current situation. そんな points to a type of thing that is closer to the listener, or refers to something the listener has just mentioned.
こんな鞄が欲しいです。
(I) want this kind of bag.
そんな鞄が欲しいです。
(I) want that kind of bag.
こんな vs. こんなに
Both relate to something close to the speaker, but their grammatical roles are different. In the noun-modifier pattern, こんな goes before a noun to describe its type. こんなに is an adverb used to modify an adjective or a verb to show the degree or extent of something.
こんなカメラは高いです。
(This) kind of camera is expensive.
こんなに高いカメラは買いません。
(I) will not buy a camera this expensive.
こんな vs. こういう
Both demonstratives describe a type or sort of something and can often be used interchangeably. こんな frequently carries more subjective emotion, such as surprise, frustration, or disgust, and is heavily used for direct physical pointing. こういう tends to sound a bit more objective, neutral, or explanatory.
こんな所には住みたくないです。
(I) do not want to live in a place like this.
こういう所が好きです。
(I) like this sort of place.
05Nuance and Usage
こんな points out the type, category, or nature of something based on what is physically or psychologically close to you. Saying こんなカメラ allows you to use your immediate surroundings, like a camera you are holding or a picture you are looking at, as a reference point to describe what you mean without explaining specific details.
Japanese speakers heavily use こんな to inject their personal feelings into a sentence. A phrase like こんな日 or こんな所 rarely just states a dry fact. こんな often carries a subjective emotional weight, such as surprise, disbelief, frustration, or awe, framing the modified noun as being extreme or unexpected in the speaker's eyes.
Using こんな in negative sentences is a common way to express rejection or distaste. A sentence like こんな雑誌は読みません sounds much more dismissive than simply saying you do not read magazines, implying a strong dislike for that specific type of item.
06Core Explanation
こんな modifies a noun to point to something physically or psychologically close to the speaker, describing its type or nature.
こんな modifies a noun to describe the nature, type, or appearance of something based on an immediate reference point. It belongs to the Ko-So-A-Do series of demonstratives, meaning it points to things that are physically or psychologically close to the speaker. It is often translated as this kind of or like this.
In the noun-modifier pattern, こんな directly precedes a noun. Unlike これ, which can stand alone as the subject or object of a sentence, こんな normally builds a noun phrase such as こんな鞄 or こんな本. You cannot say こんなが好きです to mean you like a certain type; use a full phrase such as こんな鞄が好きです or a noun-substitute form when the noun is understood.
Japanese speakers frequently use こんな to express strong emotions about a situation. A phrase like こんな所 or こんな日 often shows surprise, disbelief, or frustration rather than just pointing out facts. This emotional nuance makes こんな feel subjective and natural in daily conversation.
こんな in negative sentences often carries a sense of distaste or rejection. A sentence like こんな雑誌は読みません implies that the speaker actively dislikes or rejects that specific type of reading material. Using the topic particle は instead of the object particle を after the modified noun highlights this strong negative feeling.
こんな differs from other similar words in its grammatical role. While こんな strictly modifies nouns, the adverbial form こんなに modifies verbs and adjectives, as in こんなに高い. Another close counterpart is こういう, which also modifies nouns but tends to sound slightly more objective or explanatory than こんな.
07Common Mistakes
Wrong
こんなが好きです。
Correct
こんな鞄が好きです。
Why: こんな is purely a noun modifier. It cannot act as a standalone subject or object. You must attach it directly to a noun.
Wrong
このカメラはこんな高いです。
Correct
このカメラはこんなに高いです。
Why: こんな is a noun modifier and cannot directly modify an adjective acting as a predicate. To modify an adjective indicating degree, use the adverbial form こんなに.
Wrong
こんなのカメラが欲しいです。
Correct
こんなカメラが欲しいです。
Why: こんな attaches directly to the noun it modifies without any particles.
Wrong
こんな食べます。
Correct
こう食べます。
Why: こんな only describes nouns, not verbs. To describe doing an action in a certain way, use the adverbial form こう.
Wrong
こんなペンをください。
Correct
このペンをください。
Why: この points to an exact specific item. こんな means you want something of this kind or this type, not necessarily the exact one you are pointing at.
Wrong
探しているのはこんなですか。
Correct
探しているのはこんな鞄ですか。
Why: こんな is not a noun and cannot end a sentence or attach directly to copulas like です or ですか. It must modify a noun first to create a complete noun phrase.
08Questions
Can I say こんなです to say something is like this?
Use a noun phrase with こんな before the noun it describes, such as こんな感じです (It feels like this), or use the adverb こうです (It is this way).
What is the difference between この and こんな?
この points to a specific, exact item. こんな refers to the category, type, or characteristics of the item, but not necessarily the exact physical copy you are pointing at.
Can I use こんな to modify an adjective, like this big?
No, こんな strictly modifies nouns. To modify an adjective like 大きい, you must use the adverb form こんなに, resulting in こんなに大きい.
09Mini Practice
- 01
(I) want this kind of camera. （ ）カメラが欲しいです。
- 02
Which sentence correctly says "(I) do not like this kind of person."?
- 03
There is a restaurant in a place like this.
Tap the pieces in the correct order.
- 04
このカメラはこんな高いです。
- 05
Is your bag a bag like this? あなたの鞄は（ ）鞄ですか。
- 06
Which sentence correctly says "(I) listen to this kind of music every day."?
- 07
(I) do not read this kind of magazine.
Tap the pieces in the correct order.
- 08
(Talking about a specific type of shoes held in hand) こんな靴は高くないです。
Summary
Learner Summary
- こんな modifies a noun to point to the type or nature of something close to the speaker.
- In the noun-modifier pattern, it goes directly before the noun it describes.
- It cannot stand alone as a subject or object, and it requires no particles to connect to the noun it modifies.
- Native speakers frequently use こんな to express subjective emotions like surprise, disbelief, or frustration about a specific situation.
- こんな in negative sentences often carries a strong nuance of rejection or distaste toward the described type of thing.
10Study Map
Study Info
Inside