どの（どの、dono）
- which

The Japanese word どの (dono) is a question word that means "which" or "what." It's used to ask about a choice from a group of items or options. どの always precedes a noun, specifying what you're asking "which" about. It indicates that there are multiple possibilities and the speaker wants to know which one is being referred to. It’s similar in function to "which" in English.

⚫︎どの本が好きですか。 Translation: Which book do you like? ⚫︎どのレストランに行きますか。》 Translation: Which restaurant will we go to? ⚫︎どの色がいいですか。》 Translation: Which color is good?

⚫︎You use どの when you're asking for a selection from a defined set of options. ⚫︎It's followed directly by a noun. ⚫︎It implies that there is a limited number of choices. ⚫︎The sentence structure usually follows the pattern: どの + noun + verb/question particle (か). ⚫︎どの can be used in both formal and informal situations, though the overall tone of your sentence might shift based on your verb choices.

⚫︎どの is written in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no Kanji for どの. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always "の".

⚫︎どれ (dore) - "Which one" (used without a following noun). ⚫︎どちら (dochira) - "Which one" (polite version of どれ, but also used before nouns in more formal settings.)

There aren't direct antonyms for どの, as it is a question word. However, the answer would select a specific item or option, negating other possibilities.

どの車が欲しいですか。》 ・Translation: Which car do you want? ・Explanation: This sentence asks the listener to choose from a selection of cars.

どの先生が一番面白いですか。》 ・Translation: Which teacher is the most interesting? ・Explanation: This sentence seeks to determine which teacher is considered the most interesting by the person being asked.

The etymology of どの is not precisely known, but it is believed to have evolved from the older form of いづれ (izure), which also meant "which." いづれ is now considered archaic and どの is its modern equivalent for asking "which" about nouns.