N5 · The basic sentence
Here, there and where
place words and positions
ここ, そこ, あそこ and どこ for places, こちら for the polite version, and positions built with の.
The place row of the ko-so-a-do system is ここ (here, near me), そこ (there, near you), あそこ (over there) and どこ (where). They are nouns, so they behave like any other place: ここは図書館です "this is the library", 駅はどこですか "where is the station?".
The polite row is こちら, そちら, あちら and どちら. They began as words for directions — "this way", "that way" — and are now the courteous way to talk about places and people. Shop staff say お手洗いはあちらです rather than あそこ, and こちらは山田さんです is how you introduce someone.
Positions — on, under, in, in front of, behind, next to — are nouns too, and they come after the thing they relate to, joined by の: 机の上 "the top of the desk", that is, on the desk; 駅の前 "in front of the station". English prepositions go before their noun, Japanese position words after it, so the order has to be turned round every time.
Because these are nouns, they take particles. English "here" can stand alone ("sit here"), but Japanese needs to say what is happening there: ここに座ってください with に for where you end up, ここで待ってください with で for where an action takes place. Leaving the particle out is the commonest mistake with this group.
The form
| here | ここ |
| there (near you) | そこ |
| over there | あそこ |
| where? | どこ |
| this way, here (polite) | こちら |
| where? which way? (polite) | どちら |
| on the desk | 机の上 |
| under the chair | 椅子の下 |
| in the bag | かばんの中 |
| in front of the station | 駅の前 |
| behind the house | 家の後ろ |
| next to the bank | 銀行の隣 |
| near the school | 学校の近く |
The rules one by one
ここ, そこ, あそこ and どこ are nouns and take particles like any other place.
ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。May I take photos here?
こちら, そちら, あちら and どちら are the polite versions, and こちら also introduces a person.
こちらは部長の佐藤です。This is Sato, our head of department.
A position is the noun, then の, then the position word — the reverse of English.
本は机の上にあります。The book is on the desk.
Use に for where something is and で for where something happens.
駅の前で友達を待ちます。I will wait for my friend in front of the station.
A closer look
Japanese has no prepositions
Words like 上, 中 and 前 are ordinary nouns meaning "top", "inside" and "front". That is why they need の to attach to another noun, and why they can take particles themselves and even be the topic: 上は寒いです, "it is cold up there".
Directions work the same way: 銀行の右 is "to the right of the bank", 駅の北 "north of the station". Once you think of position words as nouns, the order stops feeling backwards: "the bank's right side" is a perfectly ordinary English phrase too.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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you ask where someone works or is from
どちら or どこ asks for a place in the wider sense — a company, a town, a country.
お勤めはどちらですか。Where do you work?
A place word in Japanese can stand for whatever organisation or region is located there, much as English "where do you work?" expects a company name.
How to spot it
- ここ
- そこ
- あそこ
- どこ
- こちら
- 〜の上
- 〜の前
- 〜の隣
Example sentences
すみません、トイレはどこですか。Excuse me, where is the toilet?
受付はあちらです。Reception is over there.
ここに座ってもいいですか。May I sit here?
郵便局は銀行の隣です。The post office is next to the bank.
かばんの中に財布があります。There is a wallet in the bag.
家の後ろに小さい公園があります。There is a small park behind the house.
8 more example sentences
そこは危ないですよ。It is dangerous there, you know.
あそこにコンビニがあります。There is a convenience store over there.
お住まいはどちらですか。Where do you live?
猫は椅子の下にいます。The cat is under the chair.
学校の近くに住んでいます。I live near the school.
駅の前にタクシー乗り場があります。There is a taxi rank in front of the station.
こちらへどうぞ。This way, please.
冷蔵庫の横にごみ箱があります。There is a bin beside the fridge.
Worth knowing (2)
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こちらこそ
In polite exchanges こちら can mean "my side" — me, or my company. When someone says よろしくお願いします, the reply こちらこそ means "the pleasure is mine": literally, "it is this side that should say so".
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。Likewise — I look forward to working with you.
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隣 and 横
Both mean "next to", but 隣 is for two things of the same kind side by side — two houses, two seats, two people — while 横 simply means "at the side of". The house next door is 隣; the bin beside the fridge is 横.
隣の人はとても親切です。My neighbour is very kind.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Following English "on the desk", learners put the position first. But 上の机 is "the upper desk" or "the desk upstairs". The thing comes first, then の, then the position: 机の上, "the desk's top".
The thing first, then の, then the position — the reverse of an English preposition.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.