Learn how to ask where something is
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| Hiroko: What if you get lost and don’t know where to go? In this lesson, you are going to learn how to ask where something in Japanese. To say where something is, you can use the basic sentence structure AはBです。 (A wa B desu.) . For example トイレは、にかいです。 (Toire wa, ni-kai desu.) the restroom is on the second floor. かい (kai) means floor. So what if you want to ask where the restroom is? You can say トイレは、どこですか。 (Toire wa, doko desu ka.) どこ (doko) means where. So you can replace にかい (ni-kai) with どこ (doko) and just add the question mark and particle ka at the end of the sentence. Okay let’s take a look at this skit. |
| Ushijima: すみません。(Sumimasen.)トイレはどこですか。 (Toire wa, doko desu ka.) |
| Yuichi: トイレは２階です。(Toire wa, ni-kai desu.) |
| Ushijima: エスカレーターはどこですか。(Esukarētā wa, doko desu ka.) |
| Yuichi: あそこです。(Asoko desu.) |
| Ushijima: ありがとうございます。 (Arigatõ gozaimasu.) |
| Hiroko: Now it’s time for Hiroko’s hint. If you are going to a restroom in Japan and if the sign is only written in Kanji, this character means women and this character means men. So don’t get confused. See you next time. |
29 Comments
HideMina-san, kon'nichi wa!
Learning how to ask where something is one of the most important things you can learn in any language! Don't miss this video lesson ♪
Sunさん
コメントありがとうございます😄
役に立って嬉しいです😁
*ひろこ先生のヒントはとても役に立ちます。
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
りょうま（Ryoma）
Team JapanesePod101.com
ひろこ先生のヒントはとても役に立つです。ありがとうございます。
Rachel さん
おしいです！（That was close!)
*2階
Thank you for studying with us😄
Sincerely,
Erica
Team JapanesePod101.com
オフィスは２回ですね。
Hi 部外者
Soooo true! 😆 Well perhaps you can use these phrases when there is no internet or if you forgot to download off-line maps 😜
Sono
Team JapanesePod101.com
"What if you get lost and don't know where to go."
Google Maps! 😜
御免なさい。
Hi Rakesh Singhal,
Sorry for the inconvenience.
I tried the video and it looks working well. Could you please try to refresh the browser?
Please let us know if you still have troubles.
Keep studying with JapanesePod101.com
Cheers,
Miki(美希)
Team JapanesePod101.com
Hi Fernando,
Thank you for your comment!
"toilet"/"lavatory" is called as" 厠(kawaya)" or "便所(benjo)" in Japanese originally, but we normally use "トイレ(toire)", one of loan words, or 化粧室(keshōshitsu) these days. 化粧室 literally means "powder room", but it is used for men's toilet somehow. I think トイレ sounds most natural when you talk about toilet or lavatory,
Keep studying with JapanesePod101.com
Cheers,
Miki(美希)
Team JapanesePod101.com
It takes too long for video to start.Audio of conversation is missing here unlike other chapters.
Greetings from Spain, JapanesePod101.com Team. I have a simple question:
Is there a traditional or 100% Japanese origin word for toilet or lavatory? Due to it is written on katakana, I think "toire" comes from "toilet". And, if that word exists, in wich situations or places I can find it or use it?
Thank you!