あの（あの、ano）
- that over there

あの is a Japanese demonstrative word, primarily used to refer to something that is so far from the speaker and the listener, or something that both are not directly involved with at the moment. It indicates something that is "over there," "that," or "that one." It can also act as a filler word, similar to "um" or "well" in English, giving the speaker time to think.

⚫︎ あの本は面白そうです。 Translation: That book looks interesting. ⚫︎ あの、すみません、道を教えてください。 Translation: Um, excuse me, could you please tell me the way?

⚫︎ Use あの when referring to something that is not near the speaker or listener. ⚫︎ Use あの when both the speaker and listener are not directly involved. ⚫︎ Use あの as a filler word when you need time to think while speaking. ⚫︎ In a dialogue, if the listener is asked to focus on something distant from the speaker, the speaker will often use あの.

⚫︎ あの is written in hiragana. ⚫︎ It has no other writing variations. ⚫︎ No okurigana is needed.

⚫︎ その (sono) - "that" (near the listener) ⚫︎ これ (kore) - "this" (near the speaker) ⚫︎ あれ (are) - "that" (far from both) ⚫︎ あちら (achira) - "that way" or "over there" (polite version)

There are no direct antonyms for あの itself, but its function of indicating distance/remoteness can be contrasted with words that indicate proximity. See "Synonyms" above.

あの車は高いですね。 ・Translation: That car is expensive, isn't it? ・Explanation: The speaker is referring to a car that is not close to them.

あの人は誰ですか？ ・Translation: Who is that person? ・Explanation: The speaker is asking about a person who is not present with the speaker.

The etymology of あの is not extensively documented in a way that provides clear origins. It is a demonstrative pronoun that evolved with the Japanese language to indicate something located away from both speaker and listener.