koto

[hamsterfreak4evr]

what is "koto"? i see it alot in manga, so i was wondering what it is..
sorry if its in the grammar section, i checked but couldnt fint it;)

[ryuubu]

Koto 事　こと means something intangible: a 'thing.'

[hamsterfreak4evr]

so how would it be used then?

[kempokatt]

Depends on how the word "koto" is being used...but, from what I've seen, it usually appears as　「こと」　and has the Kanji　事.

事　means "thing, matter, fact, circumstances, business, reason, experience"

EDIT: 'Doh, someone answered it before I finished typing!

[hamsterfreak4evr]

lol...thats funny both of you were answering at the same time. so "koto" can be used for saying...

nani wa akai kuruma des?

what is that red thing?

...im just not so certain of the context.

[Txkun]

Koto is often used to use a verb like a noun.
E.g.:
I can read.
Yomu koto ga dekimasu.

Here http://www.timwerx.net/language/jpverbs/lesson31.htm you can find a very good explanation of this use.

[hamsterfreak4evr]

aahhh....ok im starting to get the idea. so basically, to say you like doing something, there has to be a koto. got it!! thanks

[Mukade]

hamsterfreak4evr wrote:
so "koto" can be used for saying...

nani wa akai kuruma des?

what is that red thing?

こと is more intagible. For a tangible object, they tend to use もの「物」.

So your sentence would be:
あの赤い物は何ですか。
Ano akai mono wa nan desu ka.

For こと, you could say something like:
他人のことは口出ししないように。
Tanin no koto wa kuchidashi shinai youni.
"Don't talk about other people's things (i.e., affairs or business)."

--------

When you use こと in a sentence like the following, it turns the preceding verb into a noun.

音楽を聞くことが好き。
Ongaku wo kiku koto ga suki.
"I like listening to music."

That is, in this case, it would serve the same function as the "-ing" on listen. So in this case, it isn't precisely like "thing," per se. (I mean, you could translate the sentence as "I like the thing of listening to music," but why would you?)

[hamsterfreak4evr]

oh whoops.....i just reread the forum...and i said akai kuruma for red thing...i guess i was thinking about cars or somthing so i typed kuruma....that was my bad:o