Japanese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12
Getting around
道を聞くMichi o kiku
Ask where places are in Japanese, understand simple directions, and say what is where with あります and います.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask where a place is
- Understand directions: straight on, left and right
- Say what is where with あります (arimasu) and います (imasu)
- Use ここ, そこ and あそこ for places
Listen
Kobayashi Haruka asks an older man in the street the way to Sapporo station and to a bank. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Kobayashi
すみません。札幌駅はどこですか？
Sumimasen. Sapporo eki wa doko desu ka?
Excuse me. Where is Sapporo station?
Man
札幌駅ですか。あの信号を右に曲がってください。
Sapporo eki desu ka. Ano shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai.
Sapporo station? Turn right at those traffic lights.
Kobayashi
右ですか？
Migi desu ka?
Right?
Man
はい。そこからまっすぐ行ってください。
Hai. Soko kara massugu itte kudasai.
Yes. From there, go straight on.
Kobayashi
遠いですか？
Tōi desu ka?
Is it far?
Man
いいえ、歩いて五分です。
Iie, aruite gofun desu.
No, it's five minutes on foot.
Kobayashi
ありがとうございます。この近くに銀行はありますか？
Arigatō gozaimasu. Kono chikaku ni ginkō wa arimasu ka?
Thank you. Is there a bank near here?
Man
はい。あそこにコンビニがあります。銀行はその隣です。
Hai. Asoko ni konbini ga arimasu. Ginkō wa sono tonari desu.
Yes. There's a convenience store over there. The bank is next to it.
Kobayashi
どうもありがとうございます。
Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
Man
いいえ。
Iie.
Not at all.
Understand
Where is it? どこ and ここ, そこ, あそこ
To ask where something is, say the place + は (wa) + (doko desu ka?): (eki wa doko desu ka?), where is the station? Start with (sumimasen), excuse me, to get someone's attention, and thank them with (dōmo arigatō gozaimasu), thank you very much. They may answer (iie): literally “no”, here it means “not at all”.
The words for places work like (kore), (sore) and (are) from chapter 2: (koko) is here, near me; (soko) is there, near you; (asoko) is over there, away from both of us. A question word stands where the answer will go, and the word order doesn't change: (eki wa doko desu ka?), (eki wa asoko desu). The answer can be as short as (asoko desu), it's over there.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (koko) | here (near me) |
| (soko) | there (near you) |
| (asoko) | over there |
| (doko) | where? |
There is: あります and います
Japanese has two verbs for “there is” or “to be somewhere”. Use (arimasu) for things and places: shops, stations, books. Use (imasu) for people and animals. Put the place first with (ni), “in, at”, and the thing with (ga): (asoko ni konbini ga arimasu), there's a convenience store over there. When you ask about something you have in mind, は (wa) often replaces (ga), because it's already your topic: (kono chikaku ni ginkō wa arimasu ka?).
To say where something is, join the place and a position word with (no): (eki no mae), in front of the station, literally “the station's front”. Then add (ni) and the verb: (eki no mae ni ginkō ga arimasu), there's a bank in front of the station.
| Position word | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (mae), front | (eki no mae) | in front of the station |
| (tonari), next door | (ginkō no tonari) | next to the bank |
| (chikaku), near | (eki no chikaku) | near the station |
| (mukai), opposite | (konbini no mukai) | opposite the convenience store |
- 駅の前に銀行があります。Eki no mae ni ginkō ga arimasu.There's a bank in front of the station.
- コンビニの前に鈴木さんがいます。Konbini no mae ni Suzuki-san ga imasu.Mr Suzuki is in front of the convenience store.
Directions
Learn these directions as fixed phrases for now. The verb form in them, the te-form, comes in A2; with (kudasai) it makes a polite request: “please turn”, “please go”. A place you turn at takes (o): (ano shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai), turn right at those traffic lights.
To say how far something is, use (aruite), on foot, and the minutes: (aruite gofun desu), it's five minutes on foot. Minutes are (fun), written 分, which becomes (pun) after some numbers: (juppun), ten minutes.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (massugu itte kudasai) | Go straight on. |
| (migi ni magatte kudasai) | Turn right. |
| (hidari ni magatte kudasai) | Turn left. |
| (aruite gofun desu) | It's five minutes on foot. |
| (aruite jūgofun desu) | It's fifteen minutes on foot. |
は or が?
は (wa) and (ga) both come after a noun, but they do different jobs. は (wa) marks the topic: something already known that you're going to say something about. (ga) marks something new that the sentence brings in.
Listen to the man: (asoko ni konbini ga arimasu). The convenience store is new, so it takes (ga). Then (ginkō wa sono tonari desu): the bank is already what they're talking about, so it takes は (wa). A question word is always new, so it never takes は (wa); before (arimasu) it takes (ga): (nani ga arimasu ka?), what is there?
| Particle | Marks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| は (wa) | the topic, something already known | (ginkō wa sono tonari desu), the bank is next to it |
| (ga) | something new that is there | (asoko ni konbini ga arimasu), there's a convenience store over there |
| (ga) | a question word before (arimasu) | (nani ga arimasu ka?), what is there? |
More in the grammar: Demonstratives: これ, それ, あれ, どれ · Questions and か · The particles は and が · The particles を, に, で and へ · あります and います
New words
- すみませんsumimasenexcuse me; sorry · To get someone's attention, and to apologise.
- 駅ekistation · えき; (Sapporo eki), Sapporo station
- どこdokowhere
- 信号shingōtraffic lights · しんごう
- 右migiright · みぎ
- 曲がってmagatteturn · まがって; (migi ni magatte kudasai), please turn right
- まっすぐmassugustraight on · (massugu itte kudasai), please go straight on
- 遠いtōifar · とおい
- 歩いて～分aruite … fun… minutes on foot · あるいて～ふん; (aruite gofun), five minutes on foot
- 近くchikakunearby, near · ちかく; (kono chikaku), near here
- 銀行ginkōbank · ぎんこう
- あそこasokoover there
- コンビニkonbiniconvenience store · Short for “convenience store”. Most are open 24 hours.
- 左hidarileft · ひだり
Practise
1.The bank is far from you and from the person you're talking to. Where is it?
2.Put the words in order to ask where the station is.
Tap the words below in the right order.Excuse me, where is the station?
3.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “Mr Suzuki is in front of the station”?
5.Put the words in order: say there's a bank in front of the station.
Tap the words below in the right order.There's a bank in front of the station.
6.What does (aruite jūgofun desu) mean?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
すみません。駅はどこですか？
Sumimasen. Eki wa doko desu ka?
Excuse me. Where is the station?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.