Navigating the streets of Japan can be an adventure, but with these handy expressions, you’ll feel right at home wherever you go. Let’s dive in!
Let’s cover some basic phrases that will come in handy when asking for directions.
In the section, we have listed down 20 most commonly used Japanese vocabulary in this topic.
Click on the YouTube video link for detailed explanation and examples on how to use these words in each situation.
If you’d like to practise, we have also prepared a quiz to help you memorize the words faster.
Thank you for learning with us!
Table of Content:
- Vocabulary List
- Conversation: How to ask for direction?
- Conversation: How to give direction?
- YouTube Resource
- Quiz – Test your vocabulary
Vocabulary
| VOCABULARY | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
| 東 | ひがし | higashi | East |
| 南 | みなみ | minami | South |
| 西 | にし | nishi | West |
| 北 | きた | kita | North |
| 交差点 | こうさてん | kōsaten | cross junction |
| 現在地 | げんざいち | genzaichi | current location |
| 一つ目の交差点 | ひとつめのこうさてん | hitotsume no kōsaten | first cross junction |
| 二つ目の交差点 | ふたつめのこうさてん | futatsume no kōsaten | second cross junction |
| まっすぐ行く | まっすぐいく | massugu iku | go straight |
| 信号 | しんごう | shingō | traffic light |
| 右に曲がる | みぎにまがる | migi ni magaru | turn right |
| 左に曲がる | ひだりにまがる | hidari ni magaru | turn left |
| 歩道橋 | ほどうきょう | hodōkyō | pedestrian bridge |
| 道の左側 | みちのひだりがわ | michi no hidarigawa | left side of the road |
| 道の右側 | みちのみぎがわ | michi no migigawa | right side of the road |
| 道を渡る | みちをわたる | michi wo wataru | cross the road |
| 角 | かど | kado | corner |
| 突き当たり | つきあたり | tsukiatari | dead end |
| 橋を渡る | はしをわたる | hashi wo wataru | cross the bridge |
| 歩道橋を渡る | ほどうきょうをわたる | hodōkyō wo wataru | cross the pedestrian bridge |
How to Ask for Direction?
(A = location) は どこですか。
A wa doko desuka
Where is the (A = location)?
A can be:
– 郵便局 (yūbinkyoku) – post office
– 病院 (byō-in) – hospital
– 学校 (gakkō) – school
How to Give Direction?
＜辞書形＞ と 、〜があります。
<Verb dictionary form>, then there will be ~.
For e.g.
Aさん：(郵便局)は どこですか。
Bさん：まっすぐ行くと 、右に郵便局があります。
(massugu ikuto, migi ni yūbinkyoku ga arimasu)
Go straight, and you will see the post office on your right.
More resource
Quiz
Let’s practise recalling the list of vocabulary listed in the table above.
Asking and Giving Direction in Japanese