kono

Kono is a Japanese demonstrative adjective used to indicate nouns that are close to the speaker. It modifies a noun directly, forming phrases such as kono hon “this book” or kono hito “this person.” It is part of a common set of demonstratives that includes sono (“that”) and ano (“that over there”), which vary by the distance to the speaker and listener. The corresponding demonstrative pronoun is kore, meaning “this (thing).” The written form before the noun is この in kana.

Kono also appears as a surname in Japan. When romanized, it is written Kono or Kōno, and it can be rendered with various kanji spellings depending on family history. The surname is found among professionals in many fields, including politics, media, sports, and the arts.

In other contexts, Kono may appear in personal names, place names, or fictional works outside Japan, reflecting its use in media and literature beyond Japanese-language usage. In such cases, the meaning is typically unrelated to the demonstrative and derives from the original Japanese surname or from transliteration practices.