これ・それ・あれ・どれ
this, that, that over there, which one
これ / それ / あれ / どれ (on their own, as nouns)
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Japanese splits "this" and "that" three ways, by who it's near:
- これ: near me, the speaker
- それ: near you, the listener (or something you just mentioned)
- あれ: away from both of us
- どれ: which one, out of three or more
They stand alone as nouns and take particles directly: これは何ですか, "what is this?"
The same こ・そ・あ・ど pattern runs through a whole family of words (この, ここ, こちら…), so learning it once pays off several times. One detail: どれ, like other question words, takes が rather than は as a subject: どれが好きですか.
Examples
これは私のかばんです。
This is my bag.
それは何ですか。
What's that you've got?
あれは富士山です。
That's Mount Fuji over there.
どれがあなたのですか。
Which one is yours?
これをください。
I'll take this one, please.
それはいいですね。
That sounds good.