ここ

About

ここ, or "here", is a so-called 「こそあど」word. ここ's set of こそあど words includes ここ, そこ, あそこ, and どこ. This こそあど set is comprised of "spatial demonstratives" that describe a spatial relationship between the speaker, and a physical place that they are referring to. Occasionally, they may refer to concepts, or points in time as well.

ここ and other こそあど words that start with こ refer to things near the speaker (within arm's reach is a good rule of thumb).

Grammatically, ここ is a pronoun, which means that it directly substitutes for the noun it refers to. This distinguishes it from other こそあど words, such as この, that attach to nouns, rather than substitute for them. However, ここ is able to attach to a noun by using the possession/attribute marker の, if that noun is within the spatial zone it refers to (e.g. 「ここの店みせ。」"This store here.").

Summary

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  ここ is a こそあど word meaning "here".

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  ここ represents a spatial relationship between the place it refers to and the speaker.

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  ここ is a pronoun.

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  ここ may also attach to a noun if it is in its spatial zone.

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  ここ may refer to concepts or points in time, but its main use is spatial.