ここ

See also: こご, ごご, and 🈁

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
此処此所是爰茲

⟨ko₂ko₂⟩ → /koko/

From Old Japanese.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ここ [kòkó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ko̞]

Pronoun

ここ or こゝ • (koko)

(deictically) here; this place, area, or part (near the speaker) (Can be juxtaposed with a phrase with で (de) or に (ni).)
- 1985 December 20, Taeko Watanabe, “第(だい)四(よん)十(じゅう)八(はち)話(わ)　家(か)族(ぞく) Ⅰ(いち) [Chapter 48: Family I]”, in ファミリー！ [Family!], volume 11 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 72:
  
  シアトルからＬ(こ)Ａ(こ)へは…息(むす)子(こ)を尋(たず)ねてきました…ぼくは———ジョナサン・アレンの父(ちち)親(おや)です
  Shiatoru kara koko e wa… musuko o tazunetekimashita …Boku wa ———Jonasan Aren no chichioya desu
  I came here (to LA) from Seattle… to look for my son …I am —Jonathan Allen’s father
- 2004 August 17, CLAMP, “Chapitre(シャピトル).46(よんじゅうろく) 夢(ゆめ)の世(せ)界(かい) [Chapitre 46: Dream World]”, in ツバサＲＥＳＥＲＶｏｉｒＣＨＲｏＮｉＣＬＥ [Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle], volume 7 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 91:
  
  ここは桜花(エドニス)国(こく)にある妖精遊園地(フェアリーパーク)
  Koko wa Edonisu-koku ni aru Fearī Pāku
  This is Fairy Park of Edonis
(deictically) this organization or team (near or associated with the speaker) (Can be juxtaposed with a phrase with で (de) or に (ni).)
(anaphorically) here; this place, area, or part I am talking about
- c. 1368, 太平記 [Taiheiki, Chronicle of Peace]‎^[1], first scroll:
  
  1 後(ご)醍(だい)醐(ご)天(てん)皇(のう)御(ご)治(ち)世(せい)事(こと)付(つき)武(ぶ)家(け)繁(はん)昌(じょう)事(こと)
  爰(ここ)に本(ほん)朝(ちょう)人(じん)皇(のう)の始(はじめ)、神(じん)武(む)天(てん)皇(のう)より九(きゅう)十(じゅう)五(ご)代(だい)の帝(みかど)、後(ご)醍(だい)醐(ご)天(てん)皇(のう)の御宇(ぎょう)に当(あ)て、武(ふ)臣(しん)相摸(さがみ)守平(たいら)高(たか)時(とき)と云(うん)者(しゃ)あり。
  1 Godaigo Tennō gochisei koto tsuki buke hanjō koto
  Koko ni Honchō Jinnō no hajime, Jinmu Tennō yori kyūjūgodai no mikado, Godaigo Tennō no gyō ni ate, fushin Sagami Taira Takatoki to unsha ari.
  1. Prospering of the family during the reign of Emperor Godaigo
  Here first appearing in the court of Emperor Jimmu, the 95th mikado, who reigned as Emperor Godaigo, there is military retainer Sagami Taira Takatoki.
(anaphorically) this organization or team I am talking about

Usage notes

The hiragana spelling (ここ) is preferred to its kanji spellings, which are rarely used.

	ko- “this” (close to speaker)	so- “that” (close to listener)	a- “that over there” (far from both)	do- “which” (indeterminate, question)
Object	これ (kore)	それ (sore)	あれ (are)	どれ (dore)
Object	これら (korera)	それら (sorera)	あれら (arera)	—
Determiner	この (kono)	その (sono)	あの (ano)	どの (dono)
Determiner	これらの (korera no)	それらの (sorera no)	あれらの (arera no)	—
Kind	こんな (konna)	そんな (sonna)	あんな (anna)	どんな (donna)
Kind	こういう (kō iu)	そういう (sō iu)	ああいう (ā iu)	どういう (dō iu)
Place	ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あそこ (asoko)*	どこ (doko)
Place	こっから (kokkara)	そっから (sokkara)	—	どっから (dokkara)
Direction / Human	こちら (kochira)	そちら (sochira)	あちら (achira)	どちら (dochira)
Direction / Human	こなた (konata)	そなた (sonata)	あなた (anata)	どなた (donata)
Direction	こっち (kotchi)	そっち (sotchi)	あっち (atchi)	どっち (dotchi)
Human	こいつ (koitsu)^†	そいつ (soitsu)^†	あいつ (aitsu)^†	どいつ (doitsu)^†
Manner	こう (kō)	そう (sō)	ああ (ā)**	どう (dō)
Degree	これくらい (kore kurai)	それくらい (sore kurai)	あれくらい (are kurai)	どれくらい (dore kurai)
	これだけ (kore dake)	それだけ (sore dake)	あれだけ (are dake)	どれだけ (dore dake)
	これほど (kore hodo)	それほど (sore hodo)	あれほど (are hodo)	どれほど (dore hodo)
* irregular ** regular (long vowel) † potentially rude or derogatory

The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼(あ) (a), and 何(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.

Classical Japanese pronouns and demonstratives

	a-/wa- “I, we” (first person)	na-/-ma- “you, ye, thou” (second person)	k- “this” (close to speaker)	s- “that” (close to listener)	a-/ka- “that over there” (far from both)	i-/ta-/nani- “who, what, where, how, when” (interrogative)	ono- “oneself” (reflexive)
Person	あ (a) あれ (are) わ (wa) われ (ware) まろ (maro)	な (na) なれ (nare) なんぢ (nanji) まし (mashi) いまし (imashi) みまし (mimashi) きみ (kimi)	こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	た (ta) たれ (tare) なにがし (nanigashi)	おの (ono) おのれ (onore)
Thing			こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	いづれ (izure) なに (nani)
Location			ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あしこ (ashiko) かしこ (kashiko)	いづく (izuku) いづこ (izuko) いどこ (idoko) どこ (doko)
Direction			こち (kochi) こなた (konata)	そち (sochi) そなた (sonata)	あち (achi) あなた (anata) かなた (kanata)	いづち (izuchi) いづら (izura) いづかた (izukata)
Manner			か (ka) かく (kaku) かくて (kakute) かう (kō)	さ (sa) さて (sate) しか (shika)		いか (ika)
Time						いつ (itsu)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of ここ – see the following entries.

【個個】	[noun] one by one; separately Alternative spellings 箇箇, 個々, こゝ

【戸戸】	[noun] every house Alternative spelling こゝ

【呱呱】	[adverb] (onomatopoeia) representation of a baby's cry, especially the cry of a newborn baby Alternative spellings 呱々, こゝ

【志ゆき】5

[proper noun] a female given name

Alternative spellings
こころ, のぞみ, しい, のぞむ, し

(This term, ここ (koko), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as ここ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ここ.)

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]