Did you know there are several ways to use which in English?

In Japanese, どれ can mean which in English. But what are the other ways to use “which”? 

Which as a question word

The most famous way to use which is as a question word: 

Which doughnut are you gonna get?

どのドーナツにする？

Hey, ask your friend which car is his. 

ねぇ、友達の車がどれか聞いて。

Do you remember which actress was in “Top Hat?”

どの女優が”トップハット "に出演していたか覚えていますか？

A sentence (SV) + which + a verb

You can also make a sentence using [which + a verb]: 

Please choose one of the topics which hasn’t been used already. 

まだ使われていないトピックを1つ選んでください。

We need a washing machine which can handle large loads of laundry.

私たちは大量の洗濯物を処理できる洗濯機が必要だ。

Here are some of the posters which didn’t make the cut.

選ばれなかったポスターをご紹介します。

*Note that for these sentences, you can replace which with that but you CANNOT omit them.*

Subject +which + a sentence (SV) + verb

This is another common way we use “which”:

The coat which I bought at Macy’s still looks brand-new.

メイシーズで買ったコートはまだ新品のように見える。

The ketchup which I gave him turned out to be expired.

私が彼に渡したケチャップは実は賞味期限切れだった。

The wood which she’s going to use in this project is quite durable.

彼女がこのプロジェクトで使う木材はかなり耐久性がある。

*Note that for these sentences, you can replace which with that and you CAN omit them completely.*

Subject +which + verb + verb

You can also use [subject + which + (subject + verb) + verb]:

His face, which was tanned and wrinkled, was also somehow handsome.

日焼けしてしわくちゃになった彼の顔は、どこかハンサムだった。

The weather, which has been terrible this year, is still better than it was last year.

今年はひどい天気だが、去年よりはまだましだ。

Bats, which are active at night, are another animal associated with Halloween.

夜に活動するコウモリも、ハロウィンに関連する動物である。

*Note that for these sentences, you CANNOT replace which with that, and you CANNOT omit it.*

 A sentence (SV) + which + a sentence (SV)

You can use “which” to make a side comment about your first sentence:

I’m not good at tennis, which you already know.

テニスが苦手なのは、もうおわかりですね。

They’re finally going to complete the bridge, which they’ve been talking about doing for years.

彼らは何年も前から言っていた橋をついに完成させるらしい。

She’s the best employee they’ve got, which is really pretty sad if you think about it.

彼女は彼らの一番有能である従業員です。そのことを考えると本当に情けない状態ですね。

*You CANNOT replace which with that, and you CANNOT omit it in these sentences* 

Casual usage of “which” in English

I’ve noticed that some Americans use “which” in another way. This is a casual usage (and should never be used in writing!) but you might hear it from time to time.

They’re trying to make themselves look good, which, you know, there’s a really good reason why they’re doing that. 

自分をよく見せようとしている。それは、まあ、本当に正当な理由があるけど。

You’re gonna see people pushing themselves to the limit, which, honestly nowadays people kind of frown on that kind of mindset, but you’ll still see it.

正直なところ、最近はそういう考え方が嫌われているのですが、それでも、自分を限界まで追い込む人たちが結構います。

I’ve been working on this painting for about two years which, you know, people will say that at that point you’re just wasting your time, but I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel done to me.

この絵には2年ほど取り組んでいて、その時点で時間の無駄だと言われそうですが、どうなんでしょう。ただ、私には完成したとは思えません。

Any questions about how to use “which”? It’s a tricky subject! Feel free to reach out in the comments or try making some example sentences!