GrammarJLPT N5
→ such
Such / That sort of / No way!
JLPT N5Other (Pre-noun adjectival / Rentaishi)Neutral
そんな is a pre-noun adjectival (連体詞) that modifies a noun directly, meaning "such," "that kind of," or "that sort of." It belongs to the こそあど system of demonstratives: こんな (this kind of, near the speaker), そんな (that kind of, near the listener or moderately distant), and あんな (that kind of, far from both). そんな refers to something associated with the listener's sphere, something previously mentioned in conversation, or a situation both parties are aware of. Because it always directly precedes a noun, it does not conjugate or take particles between itself and the noun it modifies. In casual spoken Japanese, そんな used on its own as an exclamation conveys disbelief or denial, similar to English "No way!" or "That can't be!" This exclamatory usage is very common in everyday conversation. そんな is more colloquial than the formal equivalent そのような, and it is distinct from そんなに, which is an adverb meaning "that much" and modifies verbs or adjectives rather than nouns.
Functions
#1 Referring to something near the listener or just mentioned
Structure
そんな + Noun
そんなことは知りません。
Here そんな modifies the noun こと (thing) and refers to something the listener has just brought up or something in the listener's domain of knowledge. The speaker is distancing themselves from the topic by characterizing it as "that kind of thing," implying it is something they are not familiar with or do not wish to engage with.I don't know about that sort of thing.
Structures
- Modifying a noun
- そんな + Noun
- Exclamation (standalone)
- そんな！
Common mistakes
A common mistake is confusing そんな with そんなに. Remember that そんな modifies nouns (e.g., そんなこと), while そんなに modifies verbs and adjectives (e.g., そんなに難しくない). Another frequent error is mixing up the こそあど demonstratives: こんな refers to things near the speaker, そんな to things near the listener or previously mentioned, and あんな to things distant from both. Learners also sometimes try to use そんな with a particle before the noun (e.g., incorrectly saying そんなの本), but そんな connects directly to the noun without any intervening particle. Finally, some learners are unaware that そんな on its own can serve as an exclamation of disbelief and may fail to recognize it in conversation.
Related
こんなあんなそういうそのようなそんなに