Now that you know the は〜です pattern, it's time to use it in real life — asking for directions, describing where things are. The core of this lesson is: location word + は + place + です.
ここ, そこ, あそこ, どこ: "Here," "There," and "Where"
Japanese uses three words to distinguish distance, plus one question word:
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ここ | koko | here | near the speaker |
| そこ | soko | there | near the listener |
| あそこ | asoko | over there | far from both |
| どこ | doko | where | question |
This is the same ko-so-a-do system as これ/それ/あれ/どれ, but referring to places instead of things.
Example Sentences
ここは会社の食堂です。 → This is the company cafeteria.
Breaking it down:
- ここ = here ← location topic
- は ← topic marker
- 会社の食堂 = company cafeteria ← place description
- です ← is
Another one:
あそこはデパートです。 → That place over there is a department store.
どこですか / どちらですか: Asking "Where Is It?"
To ask where something is, use どこ or the more polite どちら:
A はどこですか。 → Where is A?
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 教室はどちらですか。 | Where is the classroom? |
| 郵便局はどこですか。 | Where is the post office? |
| トイレはどこですか。 | Where is the restroom? |
This is still the は〜です pattern — you just swap in the question word どこ before です and add か to make it a question.
Practical tip: In Japan, the first sentence you'll likely need is すみません、トイレはどこですか。 (Excuse me, where is the restroom?) Memorize this one and you're set.
Position Words: Up, Down, Left, Right, Front, Back
To describe specific positions, Japanese uses a set of directional nouns:
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上 | うえ | above / on top |
| 下 | した | below / under |
| 左 | ひだり | left |
| 右 | みぎ | right |
| 前 | まえ | front / in front of |
| 後ろ | うしろ | back / behind |
| 近く | ちかく | nearby |
These connect to nouns with の:
A の上 → on top of A 駅の近く → near the station
Using Them in Sentences
私の上は田中さんの部屋です。 → The floor above me is Tanaka-san's room.
学校は駅の近くです。 → The school is near the station.
Note: Even though we'd say "is near" in English, Japanese still uses the は〜です structure — 学校は + 駅の近く + です. The です covers both "is" and "is at."
何階ですか: Asking "What Floor?"
Japanese expresses floor numbers with "number + 階 (かい)":
| Floor | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1F | 一階 | いっかい |
| 2F | 二階 | にかい |
| 3F | 三階 | さんがい |
| 4F | 四階 | よんかい |
| 5F | 五階 | ごかい |
| 6F | 六階 | ろっかい |
| 7F | 七階 | ななかい |
| 8F | 八階 | はっかい |
| 9F | 九階 | きゅうかい |
| 10F | 十階 | じゅっかい |
| B1 | 地下一階 | ちかいっかい |
| What floor? | 何階 | なんがい / なんかい |
Watch the sound changes: 一階 (いっかい), 六階 (ろっかい), 八階 (はっかい) — floors 1, 6, 8, and 10 get a double consonant (促音). 三階 becomes さんがい (voiced).
Example Sentences
私の教室は何階ですか。 → What floor is my classroom on?
食堂は三階です。 → The cafeteria is on the third floor.
お宅は何階ですか。 → What floor is your home on?
How to Politely Interrupt Someone
Before asking for directions, Japanese speakers use a softening phrase:
ちょっとすみません。 → Excuse me for a moment.
The response:
はい、何ですか。 → Yes, what is it?
Full conversation example:
A: ちょっとすみません。 B: はい、何ですか。 A: あの、トイレはどこですか。 B: トイレですか。地下一階です。 A: どうもありがとう。
The あの here works like "um..." or "so..." in English — it's a filler word before getting to the point, and Japanese people use it all the time.
Summary
- ここ/そこ/あそこ = here / there / over there; どこ = where
- Ask for locations: 〜はどこですか or the more polite 〜はどちらですか
- Position words (上, 下, 前, 後ろ, 近く, etc.) connect to nouns with の: 駅の近く
- Floors use 〜階 — watch for sound changes on floors 1, 3, 6, 8, 10
- Before interrupting, say ちょっとすみません; the reply is はい、何ですか
Practice Questions
Q1. Translate into Japanese: "This is the company office."
Show Answer
ここは会社の事務所です。
ここ (here) は + 会社の事務所 (company office) + です (is).
Q2. What does 「学校は駅の近くです。」 mean?
Show Answer
The school is near the station.
学校 は + 駅の近く (near the station) + です (is). Japanese uses です to express "is at."
Q3. You're in Japan and need to find the restroom. What do you say?
Show Answer
すみません、トイレはどこですか。
すみません (excuse me) + トイレ (restroom) は + どこ (where) + ですか (is it?). For extra politeness, start with ちょっとすみません.