あれ

あれ
pronoun
that (over there)
1. that (over there)
A demonstrative pronoun referring to something far from both the speaker and listener.
What is that over there?
Please look at that (over there).
Is that Mt. Fuji (over there)?
What happened with that thing we were talking about yesterday?
Shared knowledge usage

あれ is a demonstrative pronoun for things far from both the speaker and listener. Part of the ko-so-a-do system.

DEMONSTRATIVE SERIES (things):

  • これ: this (near speaker)
  • それ: that (near listener)
  • あれ: that (far from both)
  • どれ: which one (question)

SHARED KNOWLEDGE USE:
あれ can also refer to something both speaker and listener know about, even if not physically present: あれ、どうなった? (What happened with that thing?)

MODIFYING NOUNS:
To modify a noun, use あの instead: あの(ほん) (that book over there), not あれ(ほん).