Beginner Japanese · Lesson 11

Say Where People and Things Are

Identify simple places and say where a familiar person or object exists using two bounded location patterns.

Level: Absolute beginner
Study time: About 42 minutes

Lesson at a glance

What you’ll learn

Use ここ, そこ, and あそこ for places while keeping them distinct from これ, それ, and あれ.
Build concrete relative locations with a known reference noun and の.
Distinguish the checked polite forms あります and います in the living and non-living examples taught here.
Understand Place に N があります／います as a place-first existence statement.
Understand N は Place にあります／います as a location statement about a known person or object.

Before you begin

Bring back どこ and the polite question ending か from the earlier question lesson.
Keep これ, それ, and あれ available as words that identify things rather than places.
Recall that one noun can give a relationship or reference point before の.
Use the separate Kana reading lines whenever the Kanji is still unfamiliar.

Japanese first

Start with a useful place answer

Ask and point to a place

店はどこですか。あそこです。

Reading: みせはどこですか。あそこです。

Where is the shop? It is over there.

You already know that どこ asks “where?” This fuller answer now lets you point to the place before looking at the complete place-word set.

Three short conversations

Meet ここ・そこ・あそこ in short conversations

Read each question and answer. Then look at the place the answer shows.

Conversation 1

ここ: the speaker’s place

The man gestures while speaking to the woman in an open room. — Question
どこですか。
Where is it?

The woman gestures down toward the open floor beside herself while the man listens. — Answer
ここです。
It is here.

ここ is the place around the speaker.

Conversation 2

そこ: the listener’s place

The man gestures while speaking to the woman in the same open room. — Question
どこですか。
Where is it?

The woman gestures down toward the open floor beside the man while he listens. — Answer
そこです。
It is there, by the listener.

そこ is the place around the listener.

Conversation 3

あそこ: a place farther away

The man asks the woman a question with a distant doorway visible behind them. — Question
どこですか。
Where is it?

The woman points toward a distant doorway across the room while the man looks that way. — Answer
あそこです。
It is over there.

あそこ is a place away from both people.

These three answers point to places. どこ asks which place; it does not add another position.

Bring back Lesson 6

Keep places separate from things

The sound pattern is related, but these are separate words with separate jobs. Use the first row to identify a place and the second row to identify a thing.

Places: ここ・そこ・あそこ; here · there · over there
Things: これ・それ・あれ; this one · that one · that one over there
Question: どこ; which place? · where?

Keep the three place words together

Each word names a place. Retrieve the place before checking the English reminder.

New word
ここ
here
New word
そこ
there (near the listener)
New word
あそこ
over there (away from speaker and listener)

Build a sentence

Point to a place or ask where it is

ここ・そこ・あそこ / どこ

Use ここ, そこ, or あそこ to identify a place. Use the already-known question word どこ when the place is missing.

In the opening, 店はどこですか asks about a known shop, and あそこです points to the answer. The familiarか remains the question ending; this is not a new question rule.

A simple place statement

ここは部屋です。

Reading: ここはへやです。

This is the room.

Meet two basic place nouns

These give the place patterns somewhere concrete to work. Read 部屋 as へや and 店 as みせ in the checked examples.

New word
部屋(へや)
room
New word
店(みせ)
shop; store

Meet ある and いる

These are the dictionary-form vocabulary identities. Sentences in this lesson use two explicitly checked polite forms.

New word
ある
to exist; to be present
The checked polite form used in this lesson is あります.
New word
いる
to exist; to be present (animate beings)
The checked polite form used for the living referents here is います.

Vocabulary form and sentence form

Use the two checked polite forms shown

Learn these two exact pairs for the sentences here. They are not a rule for converting every Japanese verb, and this lesson does not introduce verb groups.

Vocabulary formある: Polite form used hereありますthe non-living objects and places shown here
Vocabulary formいる: Polite form used hereいますpeople and other living beings, such as animals, in this beginner model

No negative or past forms are needed yet. Use only the checked forms displayed in the examples below.

Build a sentence

Say what or who exists in a place

Place に N があります／います

Say the place first. Then name the person or entity present there, followed by the checked polite existence form.

In this pattern, に marks the place where someone or something exists. が comes after the person or thing that exists. Both explanations are limited to this pattern.

Place-first existence statement

部屋に本があります。

Reading: へやにほんがあります。

There is a book in the room.

Place-first existence statement

学校に先生がいます。

Reading: がっこうにせんせいがいます。

There is a teacher at the school.

One marker, a bounded job

Keep this に separate from time に

A particle does not need one English translation for every sentence. Notice the job it does inside each complete pattern.

Specific time for an action · Lesson 10 review: 午後三時に休みます。; ごごさんじにやすみます。; に marks the specific time used for the action here.
Place of existence · this lesson: 部屋に本があります。; へやにほんがあります。; に marks the place where the book exists.

This is not movement toward a destination, and it does not introduce a marker for where an action happens. Those are different future patterns.

Choose from the referent in the example

Keep あります and います separate

In the examples here, います is used for people and other living beings such as animals. あります is used for the non-living objects and places shown here. This practical boundary is not a complete classification rule for every possible Japanese referent.

Book · non-living example本があります。
Teacher · living example先生がいます。

Check your recall

Recall the place map and first existence pattern

Try each prompt before opening the answer.

Which place word points to an area away from both speaker and listener in this model?
Show the place word
あそこIt points to that place over there in the physical model used here.
どこIs this another distance point, or the question word?
Show the role
どこIt asks which place or where; it is not a fourth point.
学校に先生が＿＿。Choose the checked polite existence form for the teacher.
Show the sentence
学校に先生がいます。／がっこうにせんせいがいます。The living referent in this example takes います.
Rebuild “There is a book in the room.”
Show the place-first sentence
部屋に本があります。／へやにほんがあります。The place comes first with に; the book is followed by が and あります.

Learn 中・外・上・下

Use each word as a concrete location relative to another noun. The English translation follows the checked example rather than defining every possible use.

New word
中(なか)
inside
New word
外(そと)
outside
New word
上(うえ)
above; on in the example here
New word
下(した)
below; under

Add 前・後ろ・近く・隣

Keep 前 and 後ろ spatial here. 近く is broadly nearby; 隣 is specifically adjacent or neighboring in the example taught.

New word
前(まえ)
in front of
New word
後ろ(うしろ)
behind
New word
近く(ちかく)
near; nearby
New word
隣(となり)
next to; neighboring

Reuse a known relationship

Let the noun before の set the reference point

reference noun + の + location word

In 本の下, the book supplies the reference point and 下 gives the location below it. This reuses the known noun relationship; it does not create a new grammar pattern or make のequal one English word in every sentence.

Put the known entity first

Now answer where it is

N は Place にあります／います

If the person or object is already the topic, put it first with は and then say its location. Begin with a very short place word, then read the same order with reference points.

カメラはかばんの中にあります。
Reading: カメラはかばんのなかにあります。
The camera is in the bag.
人は家の外にいます。
Reading: ひとはいえのそとにいます。
The person is outside the house.
カメラは本の上にあります。
Reading: カメラはほんのうえにあります。
The camera is on the book.
ペンは本の下にあります。
Reading: ペンはほんのしたにあります。
The pen is under the book.
店は会社の前にあります。
Reading: みせはかいしゃのまえにあります。
The shop is in front of the company.
先生は学校の後ろにいます。
Reading: せんせいはがっこうのうしろにいます。
The teacher is behind the school.
学校は家の近くにあります。
Reading: がっこうはいえのちかくにあります。
The school is near the house.
会社は学校のとなりにあります。
Reading: かいしゃはがっこうのとなりにあります。
The company is next to the school.

Use the complete sentences to keep 前 and 後ろ tied to a clear reference point. A small flat picture can make front and behind ambiguous.

A short conversation

Where is the book? Where is the teacher?

Read the two questions, then notice how each answer gives a location.

Speaker B
本はどこですか。
Reading: ほんはどこですか。
Meaning: Where is the book?
Speaker A
本はそこにあります。
Reading: ほんはそこにあります。
Meaning: The book is there.
Speaker B
先生はどこですか。
Reading: せんせいはどこですか。
Meaning: Where is the teacher?
Speaker A
先生は学校にいます。
Reading: せんせいはがっこうにいます。
Meaning: The teacher is at the school.

Notice

Both questions use どこですか to ask for a location.
The book answer uses あります. The teacher answer uses います.

Try a different place

Keep the question, then answer with another location you already know.