At a glance
こそ puts strong emphasis on the word before it: "this one, and not others" or "this time for sure". It also appears in fixed patterns like てこそ ("only by doing") and からこそ ("precisely because").
Noun + こそ
Verb て-form + こそ
Plain form + から + こそ
今年こそ日本に行きたいです。 This year for sure, I want to go to Japan.
How to form it
| Attaches to | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | 今年こそ | this year for sure |
| Noun (pronoun) | これこそ | this is exactly (the one) |
| Verb て-form | 練習してこそ | only by practicing |
| Verb plain form + から | 行くからこそ | precisely because (I) go |
| い-adj + から | 高いからこそ | precisely because it's expensive |
| な-adj / noun + だから | 好きだからこそ | precisely because I like it |
こそ takes the place of は and usually of が. It is used in both polite and casual speech.