それら
sorera
The English phrase "those" is translated into Japanese as それら (sorera).
Meaning: plural of that (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the demonstrative pronoun それ (sore), meaning 'that' and the pluralizing suffix ら (ra).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the plural suffix ら is often optional because the noun itself can imply plurality, but それら is used when specifically emphasizing a group of things.
How do you pronounce it?
sorera
Did you know?
- Using それら to describe people can actually sound dehumanizing, as it treats human beings more like a collection of inanimate objects.
- Japanese distinguishes between 'those' near the listener それら and 'those' far from both speakers あれら, a distinction English does not have.
- The concept of 'those' in Japanese is part of a complex 'ko-so-a-do' system, where the word changes entirely based on whether the objects are near the speaker, near the listener, or far from both.
Examples in context
- それらの本は触らないでね。Please don't touch those books.This sentence is useful for learning how to use それら with a noun to express a request.Tatoeba #8572298 by small_snow, translation #3071588 by sharptoothed
- それらは熟したりんごですか？Are those apples ripe?This sentence is useful for forming a question using それら.Tatoeba #7899901 by Ninja, translation #7898142 by CK
- 私はそれらの本をのこらず読み尽くした。I've read every one of those books.This sentence is useful for expressing the completion of an action involving the objects marked by それら.Tatoeba #6850155 by Sonata, translation #6849395 by CK
- あれらは何ですか？What are those over there?
- それらは誰のですか？Whose are those?
- あれらの本は図書館にあります。Those books are in the library.
- それらの車は非常に高価です。Those cars are very expensive.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are looking at some old photos.
- 美咲 Misakiこの写真はいいけど、それらはどこで撮ったの？Kono shashin wa ii kedo, sorera wa doko de totta no?This photo is nice, but where did you take those?
- 大翔 Hirotoそれらは去年の旅行の時に撮ったんだよ。Sorera wa kyonen no ryokou no toki ni totta nda yo.I took those during a trip last year.
- 美咲 Misakiへえ、それらは全部海外で撮ったの？Hee, sorera wa zenbu kaigai de totta no?Oh, were those all taken abroad?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、全部イタリアで撮ったんだ。Un, zenbu Itaria de totta nda.Yeah, I took them all in Italy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry それら, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
