Finding Out Where You Are

In this lesson you will learn how to ask where you are, find out if you are in the place you want to be, find out if you are at the right station on a train, say “thank you,” and ask a Japanese person to repeat and speak more slowly.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Am I in the Ginza?

Mrs. Brown is going shopping in the Ginza. After getting off the subway and walking along the street, she becomes worried that she is not in the right area.

Romaji	English
Buraun: Sumimasen, koko wa Ginza desu ka?	Excuse me, is this the Ginza?
Nihonjin: Iie, Ginza wa mukoo desu.	No, the Ginza is over in that direction.
Buraun: Doomo.	Thanks.
Nihonjin: Doo itashimashite.	You’re welcome.

Situation 2 — Is this a taxi stand?

Mr. Taylor wants to take a taxi from the station. He sees several people standing in line and checks whether the place is a taxi stand.

Romaji	English
Teeraa: Sumimasen, koko wa takushii-noriba desu ka?	Excuse me, is this a taxi stand?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu yo.	Yes, it is.
Teeraa: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you very much.
Nihonjin: Doo itashimashite.	You’re welcome.

Situation 3 — Is this Akasaka?

Ms. White is taking the subway to Akasaka, where the American Embassy is located. Just as her train is about to stop at a station, she checks with a person nearby.

Romaji	English
Howaito: Sumimasen. Koko wa Akasaka desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this Akasaka?
Nihonjin: Ha?	Pardon?
Howaito: Koko wa Akasaka desu ka?	Are we at Akasaka?
Nihonjin: Iie, Akasaka wa tsugi desu.	No, Akasaka is next.
Howaito: Doomo.	Thanks.

Situation 4 — Where is this?

Mrs. Smith is in a cab and notices a shopping area. She asks the cab driver what the name of the area is so she can come back later.

Romaji	English
Sumisu: Koko wa doko desu ka?	Where is this?
Untenshu: Shinjuku desu.	It’s Shinjuku.
Sumisu: Sumimasen. Moo ichi-do yukkuri itte kudasai.	Excuse me. Please say it again slowly.
Untenshu: Shinjuku desu.	It’s Shinjuku.
Sumisu: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	Kana	English
koko	ここ	here, this place
mukoo	むこう	yonder, over there
doomo	どうも	thanks, thank you
doo itashimashite	どういたしまして	you’re welcome
takushii	タクシー	taxi
noriba	のりば	(bus) stop, (taxi) stand
ee	ええ	yes (less formal than hai)
yo	よ	(emphasis particle)
doomo arigatoo	どうもありがとう	thank you very much
arigatoo	ありがとう	thank you
ha?	はっ	pardon? (I don’t understand)
tsugi	つぎ	next
doko	どこ	where
yukkuri	ゆっくり	slowly
basu	バス	bus

Place names (Tokyo)

Romaji	Kanji	English
Tokyo-to	東京都	Tokyo City
Shinjuku-ku	新宿区	Shinjuku Ward
Marunouchi	丸の内	Marunouchi
Akasaka	赤坂	Akasaka
Nihonbashi	日本橋	Nihonbashi
Shinbashi	新橋	Shinbashi
Roppongi	六本木	Roppongi
Ginza	銀座	Ginza
Ueno	上野	Ueno

Grammar & Usage Notes

The particle wa — topic marker

The particle wa indicates the topic of a sentence — the thing or person being talked about. In Watakushi wa Sumisu desu (“I’m Smith”), wa marks “I” as the topic.

The particle ka — question marker

Adding ka to the end of a statement turns it into a question. This is much simpler than English, where word order changes:

• Koko wa Ginza desu. → “This place is the Ginza.”
• Koko wa Ginza desu ka? → “Is this place the Ginza?”

The particle yo — emphasis

The particle yo at the end of a sentence calls attention to the statement, similar to “I tell you” or “I assure you.” It is very frequently used but carries a subtle nuance — for now, just try to understand its basic function when you hear it.

Two question patterns for location

• Koko wa Ginza desu ka? — “Is this the Ginza?” (checking a specific place)
• Koko wa doko desu ka? — “Where is this place?” (asking the name)

Note that question words like doko (“where”) appear in the middle of the Japanese sentence, not at the beginning as in English.

Asking someone to slow down

• Moo ichi-do itte kudasai. — “Please say it again.”
• Yukkuri itte kudasai. — “Please speak slowly.”
• Moo ichi-do yukkuri itte kudasai. — “Please say it again slowly.”

Practice Exercises (練習)

Substitution drill

Practice asking about different locations using the pattern Sumimasen, koko wa ______ desu ka?

Substitute
Ginza
Akasaka
Shinbashi
Marunouchi
Roppongi
takushii-noriba
basu-noriba
Ueno
Shinjuku

Communication exercise

Practice the following exchange pattern with a partner:

Role	Romaji	English
Student:	Koko wa Ginza desu ka?	Is this the Ginza?
Instructor:	Hai, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Student:	Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you very much.
Instructor:	Iie, doo itashimashite.	No, you’re welcome.

Try substituting: takushii-noriba, Roppongi, basu-noriba, Ueno, Marunouchi, Shinbashi, Shinjuku, Ginza, Akasaka, Nihonbashi.

Map exercise

Point to a location and ask Koko wa doko desu ka? Your partner answers with the place name using (place) desu.

Cultural Notes

• The Japanese writing system uses five kinds of symbols in modern written Japanese: Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana, Katakana, Romaji (Roman letters), and Arabic numerals. Kanji represent both meaning and sound and were adopted from Chinese beginning in the 4th or 5th century A.D.
• Hiragana were derived from the cursive style of Kanji and are used for native Japanese words and grammatical elements. Katakana are more angular and are mainly used for words of foreign origin — so when you write your name in Japanese, use Katakana.
• Saying “thank you”: Arigatoo is the basic form. Doomo arigatoo is more polite (doomo is an intensifier). In casual situations, doomo alone can express gratitude.
• Sumimasen can mean “excuse me,” “I’m sorry,” or even “thank you” — when used to show gratitude, it conveys something like “I’m sorry for the trouble you took for me.”