Directions in Japanese

Q: How do I say far in Japanese?

Far is 遠い・とおい・tōi.

Q: How do I say right and left in Japanese?

Right is 右（みぎ・ migi ) and left is 左（ひだり・hidari).

Q: What is map in Japanese?

Map is 地図・ちず・chizu.

Home A1 Give & ask for directions in Japanese

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Have you ever wanted to visit Japan and be able to navigate around to different places?

To do that, you’ll need to be able to ask for and understand directions!

If you get lost, knowing your migi (right) from your hidari (left) can help you find your back to your restaurant or hotel.

BASIC DIRECTIONS IN JAPANESE

First, let’s start this lesson with basic Japanese directions.

japanese	HIRAGANA	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
北	きた	kita	north
南	みなみ	minami	south
西	にし	nishi	west
東	ひがし	higashi	east
北西	ほくせい	hokusei	northwest
北東	ほくとう	hokutou	northwest
南東	なんとう	nantou	southeast
南西	なんせい	nansei	southwest
地図	ちず	chizu	map
現在地	げんざいち	genzaichi	current location

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

Knowing how to say directions in Japanese for the road, such as right and left in Japanese is also very useful.

The vocabulary below is essential for giving and receiving driving directions in Japanese:

japanese	HIRAGANA	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
前	まえ	mae	front
後ろ	うしろ	ushiro	back
左	ひだり	hidari	left
右	みぎ	migi	right
遠い	とおい	tōi	far
近い	ちかい	chikai	close
まっすぐ	–	massugu	straight
隣	となり	tonari	next to
渡った	わたった	watatta	across
交差点	こうさてん	kousaten	intersection
角を曲がる	かどをまがる	kado o magaru	turn the corner

POSITION OF SPEAKER / LISTENER

Japanese words that are used vaguely differ according to the position of speaker and listener.

Here’s a list.

JAPANESE	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
ここ	koko	here
そこ	soko	there
あそこ	asoko	over there
どこ	doko	where
こちら	kochira	here (polite)
そちら	sochira	there (polite)
あちら	achira	over there (polite)
どちら	dochira	where (polite), which
これ	kore	this
それ	sore	that
あれ	are	that over there
だれ	dare	who

ここ has the meaning of here and is close to the speaker.
そこ means there and is close to whoever is listening.
あそこ means over there and is far from those who speak and listen.

Kore, sore, are, and dare can be modified by replacing the final re with の (no) to specify an object.

It is important to note that kono, sono, ano, and dono cannot stand alone, they must be followed by a noun.

For example, while pointing at a watch you can ask:

^{Kore wa ikura desu ka.}

これはいくらでうか。

_{How much is this?}

Or, you can mention the noun, which is a watch, and ask its price:

^{Kono tokei wa ikura desu ka.}

このとけいはいくらですか。

_{How much is this watch?}

Here is a table with these modified versions of kore, sore, dare, and are:

EXAMPLES	PARTICLE	NOUN MODIFIER	PARTICLE	POSITION
これ	（は～）	この noun	（は～）	Close to the person speaking
それ	（は～）	その noun	（は～）	Close to the person listening
あれ	（は～）	あれ noun	（は～）	Far from both people
どれ	（は～）	どの noun	（は～）	Unknown (where)

PLACES IN JAPANESE

Now, before looking at some examples, let’s learn some vocabulary for places.

KANJI	HIRAGANA	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
—	うち	uchi	home
部屋	へや	heya	room
学校	がっこう	gakkou	school
会社	かいしゃ	kaisha	company
—	コンビニ	konbini	convenience store
銀行	ぎんこう	ginkou	bank
郵便局	ゆうびんきょく	yuubinkyoku	post office
事務所	じむしょ	jimusho	office
—	トイレ	toire	toilet, rest room
会議室	かいぎしつ	kaigishitsu	conference room, meeting room
教室	きょうしつ	kyoushitsu	classroom
受付	うけつけ	uketsuke	reception

EVEN MORE SENTENCE EXAMPLES

There are many other ways to express positions in Japanese.

In order to accurately convey a position to others, it is a must to choose an appropriate positional expression depending on the situation.

Now, let’s practice the new vocabulary by looking at some example sentences that use these words:

KANJI	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
車は、車庫の前に停めました。	Kuruma wa, shako no mae ni tomemashita.	The car parked in front of the garage.
塩は、砂糖の後ろにあります。	Shio wa, satō no ushiro ni arimasu.	The salt is behind the sugar.
ぼくの横に、犬がいます。	Boku no yoko ni, inu ga imasu.	There’s a dog beside me.
こんにちは、あなたの隣に座ってもいいですか。	Konnichiwa, anata no tonari ni suwatte mo iidesu ka?	Hello, can I sit next to you?

View More Examples:

kanji	romaji	english
床屋の右に、靴屋があります。	Tokoya no migi ni, kutsuya ga arimasu.	There is a shoe store on the right side of the barber.
韓国は、日本の左にあります。	Kankoku wa, Nihon no hidari ni arimasu.	South Korea is to the left of Japan.
りんごは、棚の上にあります。	Ringo wa, tana no ue ni arimasu.	The apples are on the shelves.
この土の下に、ごみを埋めました。	Kono tsuchi no shita ni, gomi wo ume mashita.	I buried garbage under this soil.
食堂は、会社の中にあります。	Shokudō wa, kaisha no naka ni arimasu.	The cafeteria is inside the company.
あなたは、お店の外で待っていてください。	Anata wa, omise no soto de matteite kudasai.	Please wait outside the store.
森の近くは、空気がきれいだ。	Mori no chikaku wa, kūki ga kireida.	The air is clean near the forest.
薬局の向かいの駐車場に、来てください。	Yakkyoku no mukai no chūshajō ni, kite kudasai.	Please come to the parking lot opposite the pharmacy.

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MORE RESOURCES

Want to learn more? Check out these other free resources:

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FAQs

Why should I learn directions in Japanese?

To be able to navigate around Japan and visit different places without getting lost!

How do I say this one in Japanese?

This one is この・kono and must be followed by a noun ex: このぎんこう・kono ginkou (this bank).

How do I say far in Japanese?

Far is 遠い・とおい・tōi.

How do I say right and left in Japanese?

Right is 右（みぎ・migi) and left is 左（ひだり・hidari).

How do I say near in Japanese?

Near is 近い・ちかい・chikai.

What is map in Japanese?

Map is 地図・ちず・chizu.

Japanese Grammar Bank