JLPT N5 Grammar: どれ (dore) — “Which One” Question Word

JLPT N5 Grammar: どれ (dore)

Q: What's the difference between どれ and どの?

どれ is a pronoun — it stands alone ('which one?'). どの is an adjective — it must be followed by a noun ('which book?' = どの本). You cannot say どれ本.

The question word “which one” — choosing among three or more items

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう疑問詞ぎもんし「どれ」解説かいせつ (選択せんたく)

⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes

どれ (dore) is the Japanese question word for “which one”. Use it when choosing among three or more items. It is a standalone pronoun — it doesn't need a noun after it. Its polite counterpart is どちら (dochira), and the noun‑modifying version is どの (dono).

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: You see three pens and want to ask “Which one is yours?” How do you say it?

Both A and B are correct! A uses どれ (standalone "which one"). B uses どの + Noun ("which pen"). C is wrong because question words like どれ use が, not は.

Quick Summary

Word
どれ

Meaning
which one (3 or more items)

Type
Standalone pronoun

Example
どれが好すきですか。どれがすきですか。Dore ga suki desu ka.
Which one do you like?

📝 Core Patterns with どれ

Which one?: どれ + が + Predicate (〜ですか / 〜ますか)

Asking preference: どれが好すきですか / どれがいいですか

Asking selection: どれにしますか (Which one will you choose?)

⚠️ どれ is a pronoun — it stands alone. It is never followed directly by a noun. For "which + noun", use どの.

🧠 Need the noun‑modifying version? See この・その・あの・どの →

💡 Toggle furigana, hiragana, or romaji for easier reading.

What is どれ?

どれ means "which one" and is used to ask about a choice among three or more tangible items or options. It is a standalone pronoun — it replaces the noun entirely, unlike どの which must be followed by a noun.

With が: どれがあなたのペンですか — Which one is your pen?
With に (choice): どれにしますか — Which one will you choose?
For two items only, use どちら (dochira) instead.

どれがいちばんおいしいですか。
Which one is the most delicious?

⚡ Common Question Patterns with どれ

Pattern	Meaning	Example
どれが + ですか	Which one is ~?	どれがあなたの本ほんですか。 Which one is your book?
どれが好すきですか	Which one do you like?	どれが好すきですか。 Which one do you like?
どれにしますか	Which one will you choose?	メニューからどれにしますか。 Which one from the menu will you have?
どれがいちばん〜ですか	Which one is the most ~?	どれがいちばん安やすいですか。 Which one is the cheapest?

Examples & Mini Dialogue

どれが田中たなかさんの車くるまですか。どれがたなかさんのくるまですか。Dore ga Tanaka-san no kuruma desu ka.
Which one is Mr. Tanaka's car?

✅ どれ stands alone — no noun after it.

この中なかでどれがいちばん好すきですか。このなかでどれがいちばんすきですか。Kono naka de dore ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among these, which one do you like the most?

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: どれにしますか。どれにしますか。Dore ni shimasu ka.
B: これにします。これにします。Kore ni shimasu.

⚡ どれ vs どの vs どちら

Word	Type	Usage	Example
どれ	Pronoun (standalone)	"Which one" among 3+ items	どれが好すきですか。 Which one do you like?
どの + Noun	Adjective (modifies noun)	"Which ~" among 3+ items	どの色いろが好すきですか。 Which colour do you like?
どちら	Pronoun (polite / 2 items)	"Which one" (polite) or "which" (2 items)	どちらが好すきですか。 Which one do you like? (polite)

⚠️ JLPT Trap: どれ is never followed directly by a noun — どれ本ほん ✕. Use どの本ほん for "which book". Also, for choosing between exactly two items, どちら is preferred over どれ.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ どれ本ほんですか。

✓ どの本ほんですか。 (どれ is a pronoun; どの is the adjective form.)

✕ どれは好すきですか。

✓ どれが好すきですか。 (Question word どれ takes が, not は.)

✕ Using どれ for two items.

✓ どちら is preferred when there are exactly two options.

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “Which one is your bag?” — choose the correct question word.

2. “Which book is yours?” — which is correct?

3. どれ takes which particle as the subject marker?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: The kosoado "thing" pronouns (これ・それ・あれ・どれ) are tested together. Remember: どれ means "which one", is a standalone pronoun, and always takes が as the subject marker — never は.

Test yourself with a free mock exam →

About the Instructor

Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

⚡ Vocabulary Used in This Lesson

Japanese	Reading	Type	English Meaning
どれ	どれ	Interrogative	which one
どの	どの	Pre‑nominal adjective	which ~
どちら	どちら	Interrogative (polite)	which one (polite / 2 items)
好すき	すき	na‑adjective	likeable, favourite
中なか	なか	Noun	inside, among
本ほん	ほん	Noun	book

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between どれ and どの?

どれ is a pronoun — it stands alone ("which one?"). どの is an adjective — it must be followed by a noun ("which book?" = どの本). You cannot say どれ本.

Can どれ be used for just two items?

Technically yes, but どちら is preferred for exactly two options. どれ is for three or more items, or when the number is unknown.

Why does どれ take が instead of は?

Like all question words (だれ, なに, どこ), どれ asks for unknown information and uses が to mark the subject being identified. どれは is grammatically incorrect in standard Japanese.

Continue Learning

Next: いつ (itsu) — the question word for "when".

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