Taking the Right Train

In this lesson you will learn how to find the right platform for your train, check whether a train is bound for your destination, confirm whether an express or local train stops at a particular station, and count numbers up to 9,999.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Is This the Right Platform?

Mrs. Williams wants to go to Yokohama from Shinagawa Station. She asks which platform to use.

Romaji	English
Uiriamusu: Sumimasen. Yokohama e ikitai n desu ga, kono hoomu desu ka?	Excuse me. I want to go to Yokohama — is this the right platform?
Nihonjin: Yokohama desu ka? Yokohama wa Yokosuka-sen desu kara… eeto… mukoo no hoo desu yo.	Yokohama? Since the Yokosuka line goes to Yokohama… let’s see… it’s over there.
Uiriamusu: Mukoo?	Over there?
Nihonjin: Ee, ichi-bansen to ni-bansen desu.	Yes, platforms number 1 and 2.
Uiriamusu: Ichi-bansen to?	Number 1 and?
Nihonjin: Ee, ichi-bansen to ni-bansen desu.	Yes, number 1 and number 2.
Uiriamusu: Soo desu ka. Doomo arigatoo.	I see. Thank you.

Situation 2 — Does This Train Go to Yokosuka?

Ms. Watson is waiting for a train on a platform at Tokyo Station.

Romaji	English
Watoson: Sumimasen. Kono densha wa Yokosuka e ikimasu ka?	Excuse me. Does this train go to Yokosuka?
Nihonjin: Iie, ikimasen yo. Yokosuka-iki wa atchi desu.	No, it doesn’t. The train bound for Yokosuka is that way.
Watoson: Nan-bansen desu ka?	What platform number is it?
Nihonjin: San-bansen desu yo.	It’s number 3.
Watoson: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Situation 3 — Express or Local?

Mr. Russell needs to get to Gakugei Daigaku on the Toyoko line from Shibuya. He boards a train bound for Sakuragicho.

Romaji	English
Rasseru: Sumimasen. Kore wa Sakuragicho-iki desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this train bound for Sakuragicho?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Rasseru: Gakugei Daigaku ni tomarimasu ka?	Does it stop at Gakugei Daigaku?
Nihonjin: Iie, kore wa kyuukoo desu kara tomarimasen yo. Tsugi no kakueki ga tomarimasu yo.	No, since it’s an express train, it doesn’t stop. The next local train stops there.
Rasseru: Soo desu ka. Doomo.	I see. Thanks.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	English	Kana
hoomu	platform	ホーム
…sen	…line, track	…せん
kara	because	から
…bansen	line/platform/track number…	…ばんせん
to	and	と
ikimasen	doesn’t/don’t go	いきません
…iki	(train) bound for…	…いき
nan-bansen	which line/platform/track?	なんばんせん
tomarimasu	stop/stops	とまります
kyuukoo	express train	きゅうこう
tomarimasen	doesn’t/don’t stop	とまりません
kakueki	local train (stops at every station)	かくえき
sen (千)	thousand	せん
Chuo-sen	Chuo line	ちゅうおうせん

Additional Train Vocabulary

Romaji	English	Kana
Shinkansen	bullet train	しんかんせん
tokkyuu	super express / limited express	とっきゅう
futsuu	local train (lit. “usual”)	ふつう
kaisoku	express (no supplementary fare)	かいそく
futsuu-sha	coach car (economy class)	ふつうしゃ
guriin-sha	first-class (lit. “green car”)	グリーンしゃ
jiyuu-seki	unreserved seat	じゆうせき
shitee-seki	reserved seat	していせき
nobori	up-train (toward Tokyo)	のぼり
kudari	down-train (away from Tokyo)	くだり
doozo	please, go ahead	どうぞ
shirubaa shiito	priority seat (lit. “silver seat”)	シルバーシート
oshiya	(train) pusher	おしゃ

Counting Thousands

Number	Romaji
1,000	sen
2,000	ni-sen
3,000	san-zen
4,000	yon-sen
5,000	go-sen
6,000	roku-sen
7,000	nana-sen
8,000	has-sen
9,000	kyuu-sen

Note the pronunciation changes at 3,000 (san-zen) and 8,000 (has-sen).

Practice reading: 1,329 — 2,751 — 3,648 — 4,510 — 5,137 — 6,892 — 7,064 — 8,276 — 9,405.

Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Finding the Right Platform

Each track at a station has its own number, expressed as numeral + bansen:

• Ichi-bansen — track number 1
• Ni-bansen — track number 2

To ask which platform your train uses:

• (Destination) e ikitai n desu ga, nan-bansen desu ka? — I want to go to (destination). What track is it?
• (Destination) e ikitai n desu ga, kono hoomu desu ka? — I want to go to (destination). Is it this platform?

2. (Destination)-iki — “Bound for…”

When referring to a train bound for a certain station:

• Yokohama-iki — (trains) bound for Yokohama
• Kono densha wa Yokohama-iki desu ka? — Is this train bound for Yokohama?
• Yokohama-iki wa nan-bansen desu ka? — What track is the Yokohama train?

3. Ikimasu and Tomarimasu

Question	Answer (Yes)	Answer (No)
Kono densha wa …e ikimasu ka? (Does this train go to…?)	Hai, ikimasu.	Iie, ikimasen.
Kono densha wa …ni tomarimasu ka? (Does this train stop at…?)	Hai, tomarimasu.	Iie, tomarimasen.

Note: The particle ni (“at”) is used after the station name with tomarimasu.

4. The Particle to — “And”

The particle to connects nouns (not verbs). Unlike English, to appears after each item except the last:

• A to B — A and B
• Nagoya to Kyoto to Osaka ni tomarimasu. — It stops at Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka.

5. Kara — “Because”

Kara at the end of a clause means “because”:

• Kyuukoo desu kara, tomarimasen. — Because it’s an express, it doesn’t stop.
• Yokosuka-sen desu kara, mukoo desu. — Because it’s the Yokosuka line, it’s over there.

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Platform Inquiry Drill

Base sentence: Yokohama-iki wa nan-bansen desu ka?

Substitute with: Tokyo-iki, Osaka-iki, Chuo-sen, Yokosuka-iki.

B. Does This Train Stop Here?

Base sentence: Kono densha wa Yokohama ni tomarimasu ka?

Substitute with: Ochanomizu, Shinagawa, Toranomon, Ikebukuro, Yotsuya.

C. Combination Exercise

Ask the instructor which platform a train uses, then write down the answer.

Train	Platform
Nagoya-iki	___ bansen
Tokyo-iki	___ bansen
Yokohama-iki	___ bansen
Sapporo-iki	___ bansen
Osaka-iki	___ bansen

D. Express vs. Local Drill

Using the Chuo line stops (Tokyo — Kanda — Ochanomizu — Suidobashi — Iidabashi — Ichigaya — Yotsuya), ask whether the express (kaisoku) stops at each station. The kaisoku stops only at Tokyo, Ochanomizu, and Yotsuya.

Cultural Notes

Types of Trains

• Shinkansen (bullet train) — The fastest. The Hikari stops only at major stations; the Kodama stops at all stations.
• Tokkyuu — Limited express, requires supplementary fare.
• Kyuukoo — Express, stops at major stations, requires supplementary fare.
• Kaisoku — Express on JR lines, no supplementary fare.
• Futsuu / Kakueki — Local train, stops at every station.

Nobori and Kudari

Trains headed toward the originating terminal (usually Tokyo) are nobori (up-train). Trains heading the other way are kudari (down-train).

Offering Your Seat

It is courteous to offer your seat to elderly people or parents with small children. Simply say Doozo (“Please”). Avoid sitting in the shirubaa shiito (priority “silver seat”) unless you are elderly or disabled.

Reading Practice (漢字)

Kanji	Romaji	English
一番線	…bansen	track number…
…方面	…hoomen	the direction of…
時間表	jikanhyoo	a timetable
渋滞	juutai	backup, congestion
横浜方面	Yokohama-hoomen	Yokohama direction