これ（これ、kore）
- this (thing)

これ means "this" and is used to refer to something that is close to the speaker (i.e., within arm's reach or physically present with the speaker). It's a demonstrative pronoun. これ can refer to an object, a person, a place, or an abstract concept.

⚫︎ これは本です。 Translation: This is a book. ⚫︎ これはおいしいです。 Translation: This is delicious. ⚫︎ これは私の車です。 Translation: This is my car.

⚫︎ Use これ when you are referring to something that is near you. ⚫︎ It is used in situations where the listener can also see or know what you are talking about. ⚫︎ It's often used when pointing to an object or indicating something close by.

⚫︎ これ is written in hiragana. ⚫︎ There is no kanji form for これ. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ この (kono): This + noun. For example, この本 (kono hon - this book). ⚫︎ こちら (kochira): This way/here (more polite than これ). ⚫︎ こいつ (koitsu): This guy/this thing (informal, used for people or objects).

⚫︎ それ (sore): That (near the listener). ⚫︎ あれ (are): That over there (far from both the speaker and listener). ⚫︎ どれ (dore): Which one?

これは私のペンです。 ・Translation: This is my pen. ・Explanation: The speaker is indicating that the pen is close to them.

これは日本語の先生です。 ・Translation: This is a Japanese language teacher. ・Explanation: The speaker is introducing someone close to them.

The etymology of これ isn't definitively known, but it is believed to have originated from a combination of the demonstrative element こ- (ko-) indicating proximity to the speaker, and the particle れ (-re) which acts as a marker for the object being pointed out. The これ structure likely evolved over time within the Japanese language.