Beginner Japanese · Lesson 13

Follow Simple Directions in Japanese

Recognize a few route words and follow two complete checked direction instructions without deriving the verb forms inside them.

Level: Absolute beginner
Study time: About 38 minutes

Lesson at a glance

What you’ll learn

Recognize entrance and exit, then distinguish right from left in simple place statements.
Recognize road, straight ahead, and the dictionary-form verb 曲がる in route context.
Follow この道をまっすぐ行ってください。 as one complete checked instruction.
Follow 右に曲がってください。 as one complete checked instruction.
Understand that a bank is near the station in a short directions exchange.
Recognize 三階（さんがい） as one verified whole floor expression.

Before you begin

Complete Destinations and Transport in Japanese so 駅 and simple movement context are familiar.
Bring back 近く from the location lesson and この from the demonstrative lesson.
Remember that earlier ～てください requests were learned as complete phrases; productive て-form rules still come later.
Use the separate Kana reading lines whenever the Kanji is still unfamiliar.

Japanese first

Turn right with one complete instruction

A short direction

右に曲がってください。

Reading: みぎにまがってください。

Please turn right.

You have seen ～てください in earlier requests. Here, keep this direction together as a complete instruction. You do not need to change the verb or extract a new rule for に.

Find the entrance and exit

These four words let you read two simple location statements before the longer route instructions. Right and left stay concrete here.

New word
入口(いりぐち)
entrance
New word
出口(でぐち)
exit
New word
右(みぎ)
right; right side
New word
左(ひだり)
left; left side

Two short place statements

Read where the entrance and exit are

Entrance

入口は右です。

Reading: いりぐちはみぎです。

The entrance is on the right.

Exit

出口は左です。

Reading: でぐちはひだりです。

The exit is on the left.

Both sentences reuse the familiar topic-and-statement pattern. They introduce no new grammar: 右 gives the right side, and 左 gives the left side.

Follow the route

道 is the road or way, まっすぐ gives the straight-ahead direction, and 曲がる is the dictionary form meaning “to turn.” Keep the changed form inside the checked instruction below.

New word
道(みち)
road; way
New word
まっすぐ
straight ahead
Use the route meaning “straight ahead” in this lesson.
New word
曲がる(まがる)
to turn
This is the dictionary form. The instruction below remains one complete checked phrase.

Useful whole pattern

Learn two complete direction instructions

この道をまっすぐ行ってください。／右に曲がってください。

Learn these as complete direction phrases for now. The first sends you straight along this road; the second tells you to turn right.

The useful words inside the phrases are この道, まっすぐ, and 右. Keep each full instruction together; this lesson does not teach how to build new て-forms.

Checked direction phrase

この道をまっすぐ行ってください。

Reading: このみちをまっすぐいってください。

Please go straight along this road.

Checked direction phrase

右に曲がってください。

Reading: みぎにまがってください。

Please turn right.

A route memory aid

See straight, then right

Start at the bottom of the path. Go straight first, then follow the turn to the right. The two complete Japanese instructions are written below in the same order.

この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
Reading: このみちをまっすぐいってください。
Please go straight along this road.
右に曲がってください。
Reading: みぎにまがってください。
Please turn right.

Check your recall

Recall right, left, and the first route instruction

Try each prompt before opening the answer.

入口は＿＿です。Complete “The entrance is on the right.”
Show the direction word
入口は右です。／いりぐちはみぎです。The entrance is on the right.
出口は左です。Which side is the exit on?
Show the side
左（ひだり）The exit is on the left.
まっすぐRetrieve the route meaning before opening the answer.
Show the meaning
Straight ahead.
Retrieve the complete checked instruction “Please turn right.”
Show the whole instruction
右に曲がってください。／みぎにまがってください。Keep the entire instruction together; do not derive the changed verb form.

Find the place inside the area or building

銀行 names the destination in the conversation. ～階 is the floor-counter family; this lesson will use only one checked whole floor form.

New word
銀行(ぎんこう)
bank
New word
～階(～かい)
counter for building floors
A counter family for building floors; use only the checked whole form shown here.

A familiar landmark returns

Place the bank near the station

駅(えき) is Review from the transport lesson, and 近く(ちかく) returns from the location lesson. Together they anchor the destination before the route instructions begin.

Bank location

銀行は駅の近くです。

Reading: ぎんこうはえきのちかくです。

The bank is near the station.

A short conversation

Where is the bank?

Read how the answer first gives the location, then gives two simple directions.

The recurring woman and man talk while he gestures along a quiet city sidewalk.

Speaker A
銀行はどこですか。
Reading: ぎんこうはどこですか。
Meaning: Where is the bank?
Speaker B
銀行は駅の近くです。
Reading: ぎんこうはえきのちかくです。
Meaning: The bank is near the station.
Speaker B
この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
Reading: このみちをまっすぐいってください。
Meaning: Please go straight along this road.
Speaker B
右に曲がってください。
Reading: みぎにまがってください。
Meaning: Please turn right.

Notice

駅の近く tells you that the bank is near the station.
The final two lines are complete direction phrases; keep each one together.

Follow it again

Read the final two instructions once more while looking at the route picture.

One checked building detail

Read 三階 as one complete form

Checked floor expression

銀行は三階です。

Reading: ぎんこうはさんがいです。

The bank is on the third floor.

～階 is used for floors in a building. In this example, 三階 is read さんがい. Learn that complete form; the family label ～かい does not predict every floor reading.