Lesson 13
Places and Directions
Everyday Places and Asking 'Where'
To navigate a Japanese city, you must first become familiar with common destination nouns. Useful everyday locations include えき (駅 / eki - train station), ぎんこう (銀行 / ginkou - bank), ゆうびんきょく (郵便局 / yuubinkyoku - post office), びょういん (病院 / byouin - hospital), コンビニ (konbini - convenience store), and トイレ (toire - restroom). Knowing these words allows you to establish your destination quickly.
When asking where something is located, use the question pattern '[Place] は どこ ですか' ([Place] wa doko desu ka), which translates to 'Where is [Place]?'. The topic particle は (wa) highlights the place you are seeking, while どこ (doko) means 'where'. For example: 'すみません、えきはどこですか' (Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka - Excuse me, where is the station?). In more formal settings, you can replace どこ (doko) with どちら (dochira), which is a politer way to ask for a direction or location.
Relative Positions: Front, Back, Inside, and Beside
To describe where one object or building is relative to another, Japanese relies on positional nouns paired with the genitive particle の (no). Fundamental position words include まえ (前 / mae - in front of), うしろ (後ろ / ushiro - behind), うえ (上 / ue - on/above), した (下 / shita - under/below), and なか (中 / naka - inside). The formula is '[Reference Noun] の [Position] に [Subject] が あります/います'. Note that あります (arimasu) is used for inanimate objects like buildings, while います (imasu) is used for living things.
For example, 'ぎんこうのまえにバスていがあります' (Ginkou no mae ni basutei ga arimasu) means 'There is a bus stop in front of the bank.' Two critical words for 'nearby' are となり (隣 / tonari) and ちかく (近く / chikaku). となり (tonari) specifically means 'next to' or 'adjacent' (sharing a boundary or immediate neighbor of a similar category), whereas ちかく (chikaku) refers to general proximity ('near'). If you want to describe an entity located between two items, use the pattern 'A と B の あいだ' (A to B no aida - between A and B).
Directional Words: Left, Right, and Straight
Street navigation requires three essential directional concepts: みぎ (右 / migi - right), ひだり (左 / hidari - left), and まっすぐ (massugu - straight ahead). A helpful memory trick for distinguishing left and right is alphabetical order: 'hidari' (left) starts with 'h', and 'migi' (right) starts with 'm', just as 'L' comes before 'R'.
When indicating movement toward a side, the destination/direction particle に (ni) follows the direction noun. For instance, 'みぎに' (migi ni) means 'to the right', and 'ひだりに' (hidari ni) means 'to the left'. Because まっすぐ (massugu) functions as an adverb, it typically connects directly to movement verbs without needing the particle に: 'まっすぐ いきます' (massugu ikimasu - go straight ahead).
Movement Verbs and the Route Particle を
Guiding someone involves action verbs such as いきます (行きます / ikimasu - to go), まがります (曲がります / magarimasu - to turn), and わたります (渡ります / watarimasu - to cross). When describing turning at an intersection or moving through a space, Japanese uses the particle を (o) in a special way: to mark the space, route, or point through which movement occurs.
While beginner learners often know を (o) as the direct object marker (e.g., 'to eat bread'), with motion verbs it designates the area being traversed or turned at. For example, in 'かどをみぎにまがります' (kado o migi ni magarimasu), かど (kado - street corner) is marked by を (o) to show the turning pivot point, meaning 'Turn right at the corner.' Similarly, crossing a bridge uses this structure: 'はしをわたります' (hashi o watarimasu - cross the bridge).
Connecting Steps and Understanding Basic Guidance
In real-world interactions, directions usually consist of sequential steps. To link sentences smoothly, Japanese speakers use conjunctions like それから (sorekara - and then / after that) or the 'te-form' of verbs to chain instructions together into a natural route description.
Consider this complete interaction: 'すみません、ゆうびんきょくはどこですか' (Sumimasen, yuubinkyoku wa doko desu ka - Excuse me, where is the post office?). The respondent might answer: 'このみちをまっすぐいってください。つぎのかどをひだりにまがります。ほんやのとなりにありますよ' (Kono michi o massugu itte kudasai. Tsugi no kado o hidari ni magarimasu. Hon'ya no tonari ni arimasu yo - Please go straight down this street. Turn left at the next corner. It is next to the bookstore!). Paying attention to the particles を (route), に (direction/location), and の (relative placement) will ensure you never lose your way.
Lesson quiz · 1 of 5
How do you ask 'Where is the hospital?' in polite Japanese?