こそ①

About

こそ is a particle, and emphatic marker that is difficult to translate directly into English, and (for this usage) attaches to nouns.

E.g. 今年ことしこそN3に受うかりたい！ "I want to pass N3 this year for sure!"

「(Noun)こそ」 is often translated as "Precisely X" or "Exactly X", however this is merely an approximation. In written scenarios, it may also appear as simply bold/italic/underlined text.

The set phrase 「こちらこそ...」 ("No it's me that should X") is very common in polite scenarios.

E.g. こちらこそありがとう！また遊あそぼう！ "No, thank you! Let's hang out again!"

こそ can also attach to longer, nominalized phrases.

E.g. 困こまった時ときに助たすけてくれる友達ともだちこそが、本当ほんとうの友達ともだちです。 "It's the friends who help you out when you're in trouble that are true friends."

Summary

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  こそ is an emphatic marker, and a particle

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  (Noun)こそ places emphasis on whatever noun こそ follows

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  The set phrase 「こちらこそ...」 is very common in polite scenarios

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  こそ can also attach to longer, nominalized phrases