こと – All about that Thing, Koto
こと means thing and you see this thing show up all of the time. こと may just be the most common noun in Japanese. So, it is going to be one thing that you will want to make sure that you remember.
Like all common words though, こと means more than just thing and has an integral part in how Japanese grammar works.
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What does こと Mean?
こと can refer to events, matters, circumstances, topics, or just about any sort of intangible abstract thing. I like to think of こと as a catch-all word referring to anything that a noun can mean. That is everything but actually tangible things like physical objects, animals, and so on.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/How do you Use こと?
こと most of the time is used with some modifier before it. Meaning, you can’t say something like:
✖ことを思いついた
I thought of a thing
This actually does not sound quite right in English. Instead, you would say:
何か思いついた
I thought of something
So basically, こと needs to be used with an adjective, verb, or in some other phrase:
いつも言われていることを忘れてしまう
I always forget what I am told (The things I am told)
面白いことを聞いた
I heard something interesting
Talking About Something
hasこと is used also to mean about, concerning, or relating to when talking about something.
昨日のことだけど、どう思う？
About yesterday, What do you think?
This sentence above is kind of ambiguous but, about yesterday can mean a number of things For example, what happened, what we talked about, or some other situation.
In general, this usage of こと explains more about the aspects of something or to talks about situations relating to something. This allows someone to talk more generally about a subject:
あ、牛乳を忘れた
I forgot the milk
あ、牛乳のことを忘れた
I forgot about the milk
The first statement has less flexibility than the second. If I heard this I would think that someone forgot to bring milk with them somewhere or forgot to purchase some. The second statement could mean something else like for example someone was rushing around, spilled some milk, and left without cleaning it up.
