Basic Japanese Words on Positions, Locations, and Direction

Have you been lost before in Tokyo train stations? Understanding some of the basic Japanese writings can help a lot in navigating the crowded and busy places in Japan. In trains for example, we often look for exits or gates labeled in their canonical direction like south, east, north or west. In the image above which I took in Tokyo Station, you will see the sign that says 南のりかえ口. Do you recognize the first Kanji character 南? The translation below gives the answer and it means “south” or “minami”. Of course you can just look for the English translations but sometimes, especially in remote areas, there are no translations. Also, the translations are in smaller font so from a far it is hard to see and you might miss them.

In this guide, I’ve compiled essential words for describing where things are in terms of locations or positions and how to get to places. The focus is to recognize these words and remember them through the flash card deck provided after each set. But first, let’s try a quick practice of the canonical or map directions of south, east, north and west.

Quick Practice - South, East, North, and West

Flip the cards below and test your understanding.

東

East (Higashi)

南

South (Minami)

北

North (Kita)

西

West (Nishi)

Now, try the other vocabulary charts then click link after each chart to try their corresponding flashcards.

Basic Positions

These are the most fundamental words you’ll use to describe locations.

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	English
左	ひだり	hidari	left
右	みぎ	migi	right
前	まえ	mae	front / in front of
後ろ	うしろ	ushiro	back / behind
上	うえ	ue	above / on top
下	した	shita	below / under

Review these basics with the Basic Positions deck.

Relative Locations

Use these words to describe the relationship between two objects.

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	English
中	なか	naka	inside
外	そと	soto	outside
横	よこ	yoko	beside / side
隣	となり	tonari	next to
間	あいだ	aida	between
向かい	むかい	mukai	opposite side / across from

Practice these in the Relative Locations set.

Cardinal Directions

Essential for map reading and navigating entrances, exits and gates in train stations.

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	English
北	きた	kita	North
南	みなみ	minami	South
東	ひがし	higashi	East
西	にし	nishi	West

Don’t lose your way! Try the Cardinal Directions deck.

Navigation

When someone is giving you directions, these are the verbs and adverbs you’ll likely hear.

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	English
まっすぐ	まっすぐ	massugu	straight ahead
曲がる	まがる	magaru	to turn
止まる	とまる	tomaru	to stop
渡る	わたる	wataru	to cross

Test your navigation skills with the Navigation flashcards.

Movement Verbs

These common verbs are used to describe the act of moving from one place to another.

Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji	English
行く	いく	iku	to go
来る	くる	kuru	to come
帰る	かえる	kaeru	to return / go home
入る	はいる	hairu	to enter
出る	でる	deru	to exit / leave

Master these essential actions in the Movement Verbs deck.

Useful Examples

Here are some example sentences to see how these words are used in context:

• まっすぐ行って、右に曲がってください。 (Massugu itte, migi ni magatte kudasai.) - Go straight and please turn right.
• 駅の前にあります。 (Eki no mae ni arimasu.) - It is in front of the station.
• 猫は箱の中にいます。 (Neko wa hako no naka ni imasu.) - The cat is inside the box.
• 道を渡ると、左側にデパートが見えます。 (Michi o wataru to, hidarigawa ni depaato ga miemasu.) - If you cross the street, you will see a department store on the left side.
• 北に向かって歩きます。 (Kita ni mukatte arukimasu.) - Walk towards the North.

Check out the full Directions category for more practice.