In this lesson you will learn how to comprehend and produce key direction words like “the first/second/third,” “intersection,” “traffic light,” and “corner.” You will also learn how to confirm your understanding or ask a follow-up question to get the information you need by using these key words.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Finding Kabukiza on Harumi Street

Mr. Jones is going to see a Kabuki play at Kabukiza, which is located near the Ginza subway station. His friend told him it is on Harumi Street.

Romaji	English
Joonzu: Sumimasen. Koko wa Harumi Doori desu ka?	Excuse me, is this Harumi Avenue?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu yo.	Yes, it is.
Joonzu: Kabukiza wa doko desu ka?	Where is Kabukiza located?
Nihonjin: Koko kara mittsu-me no hidari no kado desu.	It’s at the third corner from here, on the left.
Joonzu: Mittsu-me no hidari no kado desu ne?	At the third corner on the left, right?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu yo.	Yes, that’s right.
Joonzu: Doomo.	Thanks.

Situation 2 — Finding Mitsukoshi at Ginza 4-chome

Mrs. Anderson is going to the Mitsukoshi department store in the Ginza. She has been told it is near a large intersection at Ginza 4-chome.

Romaji	English
Andaason: Sumimasen. Koko wa Ginza yon-choome no koosaten desu ka?	Excuse me, is this the Ginza 4-chome intersection?
Nihonjin: Iie, Ginza yon-choome wa tsugi no shingoo desu.	No, it isn’t. The Ginza 4-chome intersection is at the next traffic light.
Andaason: Aa, soo desu ka. Tsugi no shingoo desu ne?	Oh, it’s the next traffic light, right?
Andaason: Mitsukoshi wa sono soba desu ka?	Is Mitsukoshi near there?
Nihonjin: Ee, Mitsukoshi wa koosaten no migi no kado desu.	Yes, Mitsukoshi is on the right-hand corner of the intersection.
Andaason: Migi no kado desu ka? Doomo arigatoo.	On the right-hand corner? Thank you.
Nihonjin: Iie.	Sure.

Situation 3 — Finding Shinjuku Gyoen

It’s spring and Mrs. Smith is going to Shinjuku Gyoen, which is famous for its cherry blossoms. She gets off at the closest subway station.

Romaji	English
Sumisu: Sumimasen. Shinjuku Gyoen wa kono chikaku desu ka?	Excuse me. Is Shinjuku Gyoen near here?
Nihonjin: Ee, sugu soba desu. Sono koosaten no mukoo desu.	Yes, it’s very near. It’s beyond that intersection.
Sumisu: Achira desu ka?	Is it in that direction? (pointing)
Nihonjin: Hai, ano depaato no mukoo desu.	Yes, it’s beyond that department store.
Sumisu: Aa, soo desu ka. Depaato no mukoo desu ne? Doomo arigatoo.	Oh, I see. Beyond the department store, right? Thank you.

Situation 4 — Finding Tokyo Station subway entrance

Ms. Patterson is on her way home after doing some shopping. She wants to take the subway at Tokyo Station.

Romaji	English
Pataason: Sumimasen. Tokyo Eki wa doko desu ka?	Excuse me, where is Tokyo Station?
Nihonjin: Chikatetsu desu ka, JR-sen desu ka?	The subway station or the Metropolitan Railway?
Pataason: Chikatetsu desu.	The subway station.
Nihonjin: Tsugi no koosaten no mukoo ni Daimaru Depaato ga arimasu. Eki wa sono mae desu.	Beyond the next intersection is the Daimaru department store. The station is in front of it.
Pataason: Daimaru Depaato no mae desu ne? Wakarimashita. Doomo arigatoo.	In front of the Daimaru department store, right? I understand. Thank you very much.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	Kana	English
…doori	…どおり	…street, …avenue
Kabukiza	かぶきざ	Kabuki Theater
kara	から	from
mittsu-me	みっつめ	the third
choome	ちょうめ	chome (counter for blocks/streets)
koosaten	こうさてん	intersection
sono	その	its, that
sugu soba	すぐそば	very near
ano	あの	that (over there)
JR-sen	JRせん	Metropolitan Railway (J.R.)
hajime no	はじめの	the first
saisho no	さいしょの	the first
futatsu-me no	ふたつめの	the second
tsurete itte agemashoo	つれていってあげましょう	I’ll take you there
arigatoo gozaimasu	ありがとうございます	thank you (polite)
kado	かど	corner
shingoo	しんごう	traffic light
tsugi no	つぎの	the next

Grammar & Usage Notes

Important direction words

Japanese does not have a word for “block,” so people frequently use the following landmarks when giving directions:

Romaji	English
kado	corner
shingoo	traffic light
koosaten	intersection

When an American says “Go two blocks,” a Japanese person would say something like “Go as far as the second intersection.”

Ordinal counters for directions

These words are frequently used with kado, shingoo, and koosaten:

Romaji	English
tsugi no (shingoo)	the next (traffic light)
saisho no (shingoo) / hajime no (shingoo)	the first (traffic light)
futatsu-me no (shingoo)	the second (traffic light)
mittsu-me no (shingoo)	the third (traffic light)

Kara — “from”

The particle kara means “from”:

koko kara — “from here”
eki kara — “from the station”
Koko kara mittsu-me no kado desu. — “It’s the third corner from here.”

Sono and soba — “that” and “near”

sono soba — “near that (place)”
sugu soba — “very near, right nearby”
eki no soba — “near the station”

Confirming with …desu ne?

To confirm that you understood the directions correctly, repeat the key words with desu ne? at the end:

Mittsu-me no hidari no kado desu ne? — “The third corner on the left, right?”
Tsugi no shingoo desu ne? — “The next traffic light, right?"

"Is it A or B?” questions

When directions are complicated, you may want to narrow things down. In Japanese, add desu ka after each alternative:

Eki no mae desu ka, ushiro desu ka? — “Is it in front of the station or behind?”
Chikatetsu desu ka, JR-sen desu ka? — “The subway or the JR line?”

With three or more items, the pattern is the same:

A desu ka, B desu ka, C desu ka? — “Is it A, B, or C?”

Practice Exercises (練習)

Substitution drill — Confirming a location

Practice with: Sumimasen, koko wa Harumi Doori desu ka?

Substitute
Ginza yon-choome
JR-sen no eki
chikatetsu no eki
Ginza Doori
doko

Substitution drill — Confirming directions

Practice with: Tsugi no koosaten desu ka?

Substitute
Tsugi no kado
Mukoo
Koosaten no mukoo
Futatsu-me no kado
Mittsu-me no shingoo

Response drill — Getting and confirming directions

Practice the full exchange:

Role	Romaji
Student:	Sumimasen, koko wa Harumi Doori desu ka?
Instructor:	Iie, Harumi Doori wa tsugi no koosaten desu.
Student:	Tsugi no koosaten desu ne?
Instructor:	Hai, soo desu.
Student:	Doomo.

Try with these instructor responses:

Student asks about	Instructor says it’s at
Ginza Doori	tsugi no shingoo
JR-sen no eki	koosaten no mukoo
chikatetsu no eki	futatsu-me no kado
Mitsukoshi	mittsu-me no shingoo no migi

Comprehension exercise — Following directions

Listen to directions and identify the key words. Then confirm your understanding:

Directions to Mitsukoshi: Koko kara futatsu-me no koosaten no migi desu. — “It’s to the right of the second intersection from here.”
Directions to Shinjuku Gyoen: Koko kara mittsu-me no koosaten no hidari no kado desu. — “It’s at the left-hand corner of the third intersection from here.”
Directions to Kabukiza: Koko kara futatsu-me no shingoo no mukoo desu. Hidari-gawa ni arimasu. — “It’s beyond the second traffic light from here. It’s on the left side.”
Directions to the subway station: Koko kara futatsu-me no kado ni depaato ga arimasu. Eki wa sono depaato no tonari desu. — “At the second corner from here there is a department store. The station is next to that department store.”

Map exercise — Correcting statements

Look at a map and correct the following incorrect statements:

Incorrect statement	Correction
Kooban wa eki no mae ni arimasu.	Iie, kooban wa eki no ushiro ni arimasu.
Kissaten wa eki no soba desu.	Iie, kissaten wa eki no soba jaa arimasen.
Hoteru wa resutoran no tonari ni arimasu.	Iie, hoteru wa resutoran no tonari jaa arimasen.

Cultural Notes

No word for “block” — Japanese cities generally do not use a grid system, so there is no exact equivalent for the English “block.” Directions are given using landmarks like corners (kado), traffic lights (shingoo), and intersections (koosaten).
Helpful Japanese people — When directions you have asked for are complicated and the place you are looking for is not far, Japanese people will often take you there personally instead of giving directions. In such cases, they will say Tsurete itte agemashoo (“I’ll take you there”). Show your gratitude with Doomo arigatoo or the more polite Arigatoo gozaimasu.
Two reliable sources for directions: the nearest kooban (police box) or tabako-ya (tobacco shop). The policemen may not speak English but will certainly help you find the place, especially if you have the address written down.
Kanji for this lesson:
- 晴海通り (Harumi Doori) — Harumi Avenue
- 四丁目 (yon-choome) — 4-chome
- 喫茶店 (kissaten) — coffee shop
- 薬局 (yakkyoku) — drugstore
- 交番 (kooban) — police box

Getting the Answer You Want (1)

What You Will Learn

Lesson Material