Which: どれ, どちら, どっち, & いずれ
This lesson will be devoted to delving further into the Japanese words that mean “which.” Although “which” corresponds to several Japanese words, the ones you will learn in this lesson cover the fundamental meaning of “which.”
Which “Which”?
There are three primary words that mean “which”: どれ, どちら, and どっち. Generally speaking, they are distinguished in the following manner.
・どれ: Used for when pointing out from three1 or more things.
・どちら: Used when pointing out from two things.
・どっち: Used when casually point out from two things2.
1. 香川さんの鞄はどれですか。
Which is Mr. Kagawa’s bag/briefcase?
2. どちらが欲しいですか。
Which do you want?
3. 日本語を勉強し始める前は、どちらが中国語の教科書か、どちらが日本語の教科書かが分からなかったでしょう。
Before studying Japanese, I probably wouldn’t have figured out which is the Chinese textbook and which is the Japanese textbook.
4. アルコールの弱いお酒はどれですか。
Which drinks are low in alcohol?
Although どっち is used colloquially, it still works well in polite speech. However, in formal situations, it gets completely replaced with どちら.
5. この会話では、どっちがいいか分かりません。
I don’t know which to use in this conversation.
Adjectival “連体詞” Forms
Like all other attributive words in Japanese, どれ・どちら・どっち have adjectival forms which are classified as 連体詞 due to their inability to conjugate – only capable of modifying nominal expressions, and in their case, via the help of the particle の.
| Pronoun Form | Adjectival Form |
| どれ | どの |
| どちら | どちらの |
| どっち | どっちの |
6. どの道を選ぶか迷っています。
I’m wavering on which path to choose.
7. どの図書館に返却してもいいんでしょうか。
Which library would it be alright to return (it) to?
8. どの駅で降りればいいですか。
Which station should I get off at?
9. どのチームを応援してるの?
Which team do you support?
10. どの科目を選択するかとても悩んでます。
I’m really worried about which subjects to choose.
11. （私には）どの色が一番似合うと思います？
Which color(s) do you think fits me the best?
12. 結局、どれにすればいいの？
In the end, which should I go with?
13. どれにしようか迷っています。
I’m wavering on which to go with.
14. どちらの仕事のオファーを受けるべきか決めかねています。もう何日もどっちつかずでいます。
I can’t make up my mind on which job offer to take. I’ve been straddling the fence now for days.
どれの
どれの is seldom possible, and it follows the same contingency needed for using これの・それの・あれの, which is that どれ must still be used as a standalone pronoun. As such, there are two scenarios in which it may occur. Case particles may follow どれの, in which case どれの is used as a pronoun meaning “which one.” Or, it may be seen in どれのこと, which also means “which one,” but with ～のこと tacked on, which is done to indicate what is being referred to.
15. ログインIDってどれのことか教えてください。
Could you tell me which thing is the login ID?
16. 一体どれのこと？
Which is it?
17. 英字新聞なんですが、朝日と読売とJapanTimes（と）ではどれのが国内の記事が多いですか。
So, regarding English-language newspapers, between Asahi, Yomiuri, and the Japan Times, which has more domestic articles?
XとY（と）では
The basic grammatical pattern used when listing the actual things ‘which’ may refer to is “XとY (と)3では.”
18. ドメインは、.comと.net（と）ではどっちがいいですか。
For a domain, between “.com” and “.net,” which is good?
19. ジョギングは、朝と夜（と）ではどっちがいいの？
As for jogging, which is best, morning or night?
20. 体重も身長も、朝と夜（と）では必ず違います。
Both one’s weight and one’s height always differ between day and night.
21. 同室と別室（と）ではどっちがいい？
(Between same room or) separate rooms, which is better?
22. 玉ねぎは、生と加熱（と）では、どっちがいいの？
As for onions, which is better, they being raw or heating them up?
It is also worth noting that X and Y are not limited to strictly nouns. In fact, nominalized phrases may also constitute them.
23. 家は、売るのと貸すの（と）では、どっちがいいの？
As for homes, between selling and leasing, which is better?
24. 剃るのと抜くの（と）では、どっちがいいの？
Between shaving and plucking, which is better?
Now, the use of the particle で in the sense of “among” is not the only option that can be used after “X and Y” in a comparison between “which” is such and such. In Ex. 25, we see that the colloquial citation particle って is used to bring up the two options as the topic of discussion, which is then followed by a question pertaining to which is more popular.
25. モンストとパズドラって、どっちが人気があるんでしょうか？
So, about Monster Strike and Puzzle & Dragon, which is more popular?
There is even the likelihood that nothing immediately follows X and Y. In the scenario of “smoking” vs “non-smoking,” the grammatical reason for why nothing follows these options is because they are both objects, which are being replaced by the indefinite pronoun どちら.
26. 喫煙席と禁煙席、どちらになさいますか。
Which would you like, smoking or non-smoking?
XとY（と）の中では
A wordier rendition of above which is more common the larger the pool of choices are, the final と is significantly less common, as its absence is the norm when followed by case particles4.
27. 犬と猫と、ウサギ｛（と）・の中｝では、どれが一番好きですか。
Between/among dogs, cats, and rabbits, which do you like the most?
28. 春、夏、秋、冬の中で5、｛どの ◎・どちらの △6｝季節が一番お好きですか。
Among spring, summer, autumn, and winter, which season do you like the most?
～の方（ほう）
Another facet of grammar surrounding “which” is the addition of ～の方 to emphasize “which one.”
29. ワインとビール（と）では、どちら（のほう）が好きですか。
Between wine and beer, which (one) do you like?
30. 今のところ、モンストとパズドラ（と）では、｛どっち・どちら｝のほうが人気があるんですか。
Currently, between Monster Strike or Puzzle & Dragons, which is more popular?
XかYか、｛どちら・どっち｝
The particle か may be used similarly to how “which” is used but with the meaning of “or.” Regarding difference in nuance, the sense of comparison is lessened to a listing of options which may not be exclusive which may also be emphatically based. In this case, か is usually stated after the last mention, but it may be omitted like in Ex. 34 if the options are set aside to then pose a “which”-question pertaining to the options raised.
31. お箸かフォークか7どちらになさいますか。
Will you go with chopsticks or fork?
32. ガチャって、単発か10連か、どっちがいい？
As for gacha, which is better, single shot or 10 shot?
33. 愛かお金かどちらにしますか。
Which will you go with, love or money?
34. モンストかパズドラ、どっちがおススメですか？
Monster Strike or Puzzle & Dragon, which do you recommend?
35. 賃貸か持ち家かどっちが得かなど比較してはいけません。
You mustn’t compare on the lines of like whether renting or owning one’s home is the better bargain.
36. 車を買うなら、新車か中古車かどっちがお得なんですか。
If you’re buying a new car, which is a better bargain, a new car or a used car?
X｛と・か｝Y｛と・か｝の｛どちら・どっち｝
It is also possible to treat X and Y as qualifying どちら・どっち directly via the particle の, with the choice between と and か for listing the two options delegated to the speaker based on how succinctly the options present themselves at the time of utterance.
37. マンションと戸建てのどちらを選ぶべきか、一概には言い切れず、結局のところ、それぞれの価値観や希望する暮らしによって決まります。
One can’t quite generalize whether one should choose between an apartment and a house; ultimately, it comes down to each own’s personal values and lifestyle that one wants.
You can also see instances of X and Y being quantified with paraphrases that equate to the same thing.
38. 二つの選択肢のどちらを選ぶか迷っているところです。
I’m having trouble deciding between these two options.
XとYだと、｛どちら・どっち｝
Of course, どちら・どっち mean “which” between two options, so how the options are presented beforehand may differ considerably depending on the nature of the comparison. Here, in Ex. 39, we see that conditional conjunctive particles like と can be used in presenting X and Y. In this scenario, X and Y are being presented in the sense of “if” X and Y” are being compared, then which…
39. 太平洋と大西洋だと、どちらのほうが大きいのでしょうか。
If (the oceans being compared) are the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, which one is larger?
Deceiving Translations
At times, the use of the word “which” in English does not match well with the corresponding Japanese wording. This is especially so when “which” is more or less interchangeable with “what,” in which case 何～ may be more appropriate.
40. ｛紳士服・メンズアパレル｝売場は何階ですか。
Which/what floor is men’s clothing?
Another difficult choice to make is between どこ and どれ as it pertains to options between places. While both options are valid in Ex. 41, the angle of the question does change. どの都市 implies that finite options have already been listed in context, whereas with どこの都市 implies that no exact location has been mentioned. While in this exact instance, it is unlikely that an English speaker would use “which” in this context, with the real issue then being between “what” vs “where,” どれ・どの ultimately present themselves as having a less broad meaning than the English “which.”
41. ｛どこの・どの｝都市に住んでみたいですか。
In what/which city would you like to live?
いずれ
どれ derives from いずれ, which is more etymologically correctly spelled as いづれ. At its core is the ancient indefinite pronoun いづ, which was initially used to refer to an indefinite place/direction but was quickly adapted to refer to an indefinite entity or entities. In Modern Japanese, this word has four distinct meanings.
- “Which”: Seen as a formal version of both どれ・どちら and more common in the written language. In the spoken language, it is still often seen in the set phrase いずれにしても meaning “in any case,” which in the written language may also appear as いずれにしろ or いずれにせよ.
- “Where”: While more formal than どこ・どちら, this usage of いずれ, despite it being its original meaning, has fallen out of use. Nonetheless, it is not hard to find instances of this in Early Modern Japanese or historical dramas.
- “Anyway”: A formal means of saying どのみち, this meaning is adverbial. A more literal translation, in this light, would be “whichever.”
- “Sooner or later”: A spinoff of Usage 3 from a temporal aspect, oddly enough, this usage has some currency in the spoken language.
42. 人間はいずれは死ぬものだ。
Humans will die someday.
43. 死刑廃止、存続、いずれにしても難しい問題なのだ。
Abolishing the death penalty or continuing with it, at any rate, it is a difficult question.
44. いずれにお出掛けですか。
Whereabouts are you headed?
45. 合否いずれの場合もメールにてご連絡します。
In either case, whether you pass or fail, we will notify you via e-mail.
どれどれ
While literally an emphatic version of どれ through repetition, it is most often used in the sense of “let me see” like in Ex. 46.
46. 虫歯ですって？どれどれ、見せて！
A cavity, you say? Let me see, let me see!
- In Modern Japanese, the mutual understanding among speakers that どれ refers to 3+ options and that どちら・どっち refers to 2 options has all but lexicalized as such entirely. Yet, dictionaries are not all in agreement about this. For instance, the 大辞泉 states that どちら specifies one of several. Meanwhile, the 大辞林 states that どちら is used when choose one of several, particularly when it is one of two. Other dictionaries such as the 広辞苑 merely state that どちら is a politer version of どっち. Historically, it appears that this distinction was not had between them.
i. 熊野へ参るには、紀路と伊勢路のどれ近し、どれ遠し、広大慈悲の道なれば紀路も伊勢路も遠からず。
In traveling to Kumano, whether the Kii Route or the Ise Route is close or far, neither matters; provided the road is vast in its mercy, neither route is far.
From the『梁塵秘抄』. ↩︎ - Similarly, どっち is often only cited as being the casual version of どちら, as it is in the 広辞苑. This dictionary, incidentally, lists two set phrases in which どっち is seemingly not explicitly defined set number of two options implied: どっちみち (=どのみち) with the meaning of “anyway” and どっちつかず meaning “noncommittal.” Both, however, are most often translated as “either way” or “on neither side/straddling the fence” respectively when there are clearly only two options at hand. ↩︎
- The traditional rendition of this pattern is XとYとでは, with the final と being a remnant of the traditional use of the parallel particle と. While the final と is almost always dropped in the spoken language when said final noun is followed by another case particle aside from で used here in the sense of “among,” its presence remains quite common in this particular structure. ↩︎
- The aversion of ～との in this environment could be due to avoiding confusion with the case particle と, which would indicate a meaning of “with” as in “with” whom an action is undertaken. While that meaning may not necessarily make sense in many contexts, avoiding grammatical ambiguity is a powerful force nonetheless. ↩︎
- The particle は is notably absent in this example, which would otherwise highlight the contrasts between the options being posed. With the use of は, though, contrast may also be implied with unmentioned options. As the four seasons are finite, there is no need for any sort of extrapolation. ↩︎
- Highly formal language is a major factor in triggering a speaker to using どちら over どれ, despite the association that どちら is primarily used when there are just two options. Interestingly, there is no consensus among Japanese dictionaries on this matter either. ↩︎
- Although the general options may indeed just be chopsticks or forks, the option of neither is also implied. It is also open-ended enough for the customer to choose something else not explicitly mentioned. ↩︎