そんな・こんな・あんな・どんな

「こんな・そんな・あんな・どんな」 go before a noun and say what kind it is.

•こんな: near the speaker, or just mentioned ('this kind of')

•そんな: near the listener, or just said by them ('that kind of'): 「そんなこと言うな」 (Don't say such a thing)

•あんな: far from both, or known to both ('that kind of')

•どんな: 'what kind of'

In writing and polite speech, 「このような・そのような・あのような・どのような」 are used in the same way.

•These four must be followed by a noun: 「そんな人」, 「どんな本」. They cannot stand alone as a subject or modify a verb directly.

•To modify a verb use 「こう・そう・ああ・どう」: 「そう言う」, 「どうする」.

•In talk, 「そんな」 and 「あんな」 often carry disgust or contempt: 「あんなやつ」 (a guy like that).