どれ
dore[do̞ɾe̞]
In Japanese, "which one" is translated as どれ (dore).
The phrase どれ is used to ask for a specific choice from a group of three or more items.
Which one should you use?
There are specific distinctions in Japanese depending on the number of items and the grammatical structure. Use どっち when choosing between only two items, whereas どれ is used for groups of three or more. If the word is immediately followed by a specific noun, such as "which book", use どの instead of どれ.
How do you pronounce it?
dore
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word どれ can also be used as an interjection similar to 'Let's see…' when someone is thinking deeply.
- The phrase どれ is actually a shortened form of the much longer and more formal word いずれ.
- In Japanese, using どれ when there are only two options is technically a grammatical error, but doing so can subtly imply that the speaker is unaware of the total number of items.
Examples in context
- 私のはどれ？Which one is mine?This sentence shows how to ask which item belongs to the speaker using どれ.Tatoeba #3710295 by tommy_san, translation #1432893 by CM
- どれにする？Which one do you want?This sentence is useful for asking someone which one they want to choose using どれ.Tatoeba #10298469 by small_snow, translation #1886586 by CK
- どれから食べる？Which one do you want to start eating?This sentence is useful for asking someone which one they want to start eating using どれ.Tatoeba #11128698 by bunbuku, translation #11128699 by DJ_Saidez
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are looking at many colorful postcards at a shop.
- 結衣 Yuiどれが一番いいと思う？Dore ga ichiban ii to omou?Which one do you think is the best?
- 陽太 Yotaこの青いのがいいよ。Kono aoi no ga ii yo.I like this blue one.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ。じゃあ、どれを買おうか。Hontou da. Jaa, dore o kaou ka.You're right. So, which one shall we buy?
- 陽太 Yota全部買っちゃおうか！Zenbu katchaou ka!Maybe we should just buy them all!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry どれ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries どれ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
