あれかこれか
are ka kore ka
The Japanese phrase for 'either or' is あれかこれか (are ka kore ka).
あれかこれか is used to indicate a choice between two different options. While it literally translates to 'that or this', it is used idiomatically to express the general concept of 'either/or'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of あれ (that), か (the question particle used for 'or'), これ (this) and another か (the question particle).
Which one should you use?
While あれかこれか is a common way to express the concept, other forms exist depending on the situation. For informal speech, you can use どっちか, whereas いずれか is used for formal contexts. For very formal or written Japanese, such as in official documents, 二者択一 is used to represent the act of choosing between two options.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create the 'either… or…' structure, the particle か is repeated after each option.
How do you pronounce it?
are ka kore ka
Did you know?
- The term 二者択一 is a four-character compound called a yojijukugo, a style of expression often derived from Classical Chinese to convey complex concepts concisely.
- The informal どっちか (dotchika) comes from the word どっち (which way), framing an 'either or' choice as a physical direction or path.
- When using 二者択一 in a business context, it often implies a 'zero-sum' situation where choosing one option necessitates the complete sacrifice of the other.
Examples in context
- どっちか好きな味を選んでください。Please choose either of the flavors you like.
- どちらか選んでください。Please choose either of them.
- 必要事項を一つずつ選択してください。二者択一です。Please choose the required information one by one. It is an 'either or' situation.
- あれかこれか、決めるのは難しい。are ka kore ka, kimeru no wa muzukashii.It is difficult to decide between this or that.
- あれかこれか、どちらかを選んでください。are ka kore ka, dochira ka o erande kudasai.Please choose either this or that.
- あれかこれか、結局選べなかった。are ka kore ka, kekkyoku erabenakatta.In the end, I couldn't choose between this or that.
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are choosing a gift at a store.
- 陽太 Yotaどっちがいいと思う？dotchi ga ii to omou?Which one do you think is better?
- 陽葵 Himariうーん、あれかこれか迷うね。uun, are ka kore ka mayou ne.Hmm, I can't decide between either that or this.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、あっちにしようか。jaa, atchi ni shiyou ka.Then, shall we go with that one?
- 陽葵 Himariそうだね、それにしよう。sou da ne, sore ni shiyou.You're right, let's do that.
