Getting the Answer You Want (2)

In this lesson you will continue building your skills for getting directions in Japanese. You will learn how to understand key direction words such as “straight,” “street,” “toward,” “beyond,” and “at the end of the street.” You will also practice confirming directions phrase by phrase — a critical strategy when you don’t catch everything at once.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Looking for a Subway Station

Mrs. Taylor is looking for a subway station. She asks a passer-by and confirms the directions step by step.

Romaji	English
Teeraa: Sumimasen. Kono chikaku ni chikatetsu no eki ga arimasu ka?	Excuse me. Is there a subway station near here?
Nihonjin: Ee, kono michi o massugu itte, futatsu-me no…	Yes. Go straight down this street. At the second…
Teeraa: Sumimasen. Moo ichi-do yukkuri itte kudasai.	I’m sorry. Could you say that again slowly?
Nihonjin: Kono michi o massugu itte…	Go straight down this street…
Teeraa: Massugu…	Straight…
Nihonjin: Futatsu-me no kado o migi ni magarimasu.	At the second corner, turn right.
Teeraa: Futatsu-me no kado, migi…	Second corner, right…
Nihonjin: Eki wa hidari ni arimasu yo.	The station is on the left.
Teeraa: Hidari desu ne?	On the left?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu.	Yes, that’s right.
Teeraa: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Situation 2 — Finding the Fairmont Hotel

Ms. Baker is looking for the Fairmont Hotel in the general neighborhood.

Romaji	English
Beekaa: Sumimasen ga… Feamonto Hoteru wa doko ni arimasu ka?	Excuse me. Where is the Fairmont Hotel?
Nihonjin: Feamonto Hoteru desu ka? Eeto… Kono michi o massugu itte, hajime no kado o hidari ni magatta tokoro desu yo.	Fairmont Hotel? Let me see… Go down this street. At the first corner, turn left — it’s right there.
Beekaa: Sumimasen, moo ichi-do itte kudasai.	I’m sorry, could you say that again?
Nihonjin: Kono michi o massugu itte, hajime no kado o hidari ni magatta tokoro desu.	Go straight down this street. At the first corner, turn left — it’s right there.
Beekaa: Ano kado desu ne? Ano kado no hidari desu ka, migi desu ka?	You mean that corner? Is it to the left or right at the corner?
Nihonjin: Hidari desu.	It’s to the left.
Beekaa: Soo desu ka. Doomo arigatoo.	I see. Thank you very much.

Situation 3 — Finding the Oriental Bazaar

Ms. Jackson is looking for the Oriental Bazaar near Meiji Shrine.

Romaji	English
Jakuson: Sumimasen. Koko wa Meiji Jinguu desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this the Meiji Shrine?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Jakuson: Orientaru Bazaa wa doko desu ka?	Where is the Oriental Bazaar?
Nihonjin: Orientaru Bazaa wa kono michi o massugu itte, ano shingoo no chotto saki desu yo.	The Oriental Bazaar is a little beyond the traffic light, down this street.
Jakuson: Chotto saki? Shingoo no chikaku desu ka?	A little beyond? Is it near the traffic light?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Jakuson: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Situation 4 — Finding the National Art Museum

Mr. Clark is looking for the National Art Museum in Ueno Park.

Romaji	English
Kuraaku: Chotto sumimasen ga, bijutsukan wa atchi desu ka?	Excuse me, is the Art Museum over there?
Ekiin: Ee, sono michi no mukoo no hoo desu.	Yes. It’s over that way, up the street.
Kuraaku: Mukoo no hoo?	Over in that direction?
Ekiin: Ee, soko o migi ni magatte, massugu itta tokoro desu.	Yes. Turn right there and it’s straight ahead.
Kuraaku: Massugu itta tokoro desu ka?	Straight ahead?
Ekiin: Ee, soo desu. Soko o migi ni magatte, massugu ikimasu ne. Massugu itta tokoro wa tsukiatari desu yo. Sono tsukiatari ni arimasu. Sugu wakarimasu yo.	Yes. Turn right there and go straight. The museum is at the end of the street. You’ll find it easily.
Kuraaku: Aa, tsukiatari desu ka. Doomo arigatoo.	Oh, at the end of the street? Thank you.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	English	Kana
kono	this	この
o	(marks the object of a verb)	を
magatta tokoro desu	it’s at the place (you) turn	まがったところです
saki	ahead, beyond	さき
…no chikaku	the vicinity of…	…のちかく
hoo	direction, way, toward	ほう
magatte	turn (TE form of magarimasu)	まがって
massugu itta tokoro	go straight (then you’ll see it)	まっすぐいったところ
tsukiatari	end of a street, dead end	つきあたり
bijutsukan	art museum	びじゅつかん
Gaimushoo	Foreign Ministry	がいむしょう
ikimasu	go	いきます
magarimasu	turn	まがります

Street Names

Romaji	English	Kanji
Sakurada Doori	Sakurada Avenue	桜田通り
Uchibori Doori	Uchibori Avenue	内堀通り
Sotobori Doori	Sotobori Avenue	外堀通り
Aoyama Doori	Aoyama Avenue	青山通り

Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Key Direction Words

These words are essential for understanding directions:

Word	Meaning	Example
massugu	straight	massugu itte — going straight
michi	street	kono michi — this street
…no hoo	toward…	migi no hoo — toward the right
…no saki	beyond…	koosaten no saki — beyond the intersection
tsukiatari	end of street	Kono michi no tsukiatari desu. — It’s at the end of this street.

2. Verb Forms in Directions

The verbs “go” (ikimasu) and “turn” (magarimasu) appear in different forms depending on their position:

Form	Usage	Example
ikimasu / magarimasu	at the end of a sentence	Massugu ikimasu. (Go straight.)
itte / magatte	when followed by another action	Itte, magatte… (Go and turn…)
itta tokoro / magatta tokoro	”the place where you go/turn”	Massugu itta tokoro desu. (It’s straight ahead.)

In Japanese, direction keywords come before the verb — the opposite of English word order:

• Kono michi o massugu ikimasu. — Go straight down this street.
• Tsugi no shingoo o migi ni magarimasu. — Turn right at the next traffic light.

3. Japanese Street System

Streets in most Japanese cities do not run in a neat north–south / east–west grid. Furthermore, not all streets have names. Japanese people normally use area names and block numbers (e.g., yon-choome) to refer to locations. Since there is no word for “block,” directions rely on landmarks like kado (corner), shingoo (traffic light), and koosaten (intersection).

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Substitution Drill — Locations

Base sentence: Kooban wa kono michi no migi no hoo ni arimasu.

Substitute the underlined location:

1. futatsu-me no kado (second corner)
2. ano shingoo no mukoo (beyond that traffic light)
3. ano koosaten no kado (that intersection corner)
4. ano kado no migi (right of that corner)
5. eki no soba (near the station)
6. kono michi no hidari (left side of this street)

B. Substitution Drill — Which One?

Base sentence: ___ desu ka, ___ desu ka?

Practice with these pairs:

1. atchi / kotchi (over there / over here)
2. futatsu-me / mittsu-me (second / third)
3. migi no kado / hidari no kado (right corner / left corner)
4. basu / chikatetsu (bus / subway)
5. migi no hoo / hidari no hoo (toward the right / toward the left)

C. Translation-Substitution Drill

Respond using the pattern: Depaato wa ___ ni arimasu.

English Cue	Japanese Response
on the third corner	Depaato wa mittsu-me no kado ni arimasu.
on the left	…hidari ni arimasu.
at the third corner on the right	…mittsu-me no kado no migi ni arimasu.
at the next intersection	…tsugi no koosaten ni arimasu.
beyond the second traffic light	…futatsu-me no shingoo no saki ni arimasu.
to the right at the next corner	…tsugi no kado no migi ni arimasu.

Cultural Notes

• When you don’t understand directions, the most natural strategy is to repeat back what you understood and ask the speaker to confirm or repeat. This “echo and confirm” technique is exactly what the Americans do in each dialogue above.
• The expression Moo ichi-do yukkuri itte kudasai (“Please say it once more slowly”) is one of the most valuable phrases for a language learner in Japan.
• Although Doori is pronounced with a long vowel, it is often spelled Dori on street signs (e.g., Sakurada Dori).

Reading Practice (漢字)

Kanji	Romaji	English
タバコ屋	tabako-ya	tobacco shop
銀行	ginkoo	bank
右折禁止	Usetsu Kinshi	No Right Turn
左折禁止	Sasetsu Kinshi	No Left Turn
一方通行	Ippoo Tsuukoo	One-way Street