How to ask for directions in Japan 案内

Over-cautious Japanese

It may be due to their early involvement in world affairs, or because of their rapid economic development post-war, but many people think that the Japanese have an excellent grasp on the English language. Sorry to disappoint you, but unfortunately this isn't the case, and it maybe harder than you expect to find someone who speaks English well!

Despite some vocabulary offered by the Americans upon their arrival in Japan, and incorporated in their own language, the average Japaneseperson's grasp of English is generally poor.

Never mind! When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Is there any better proof of love and respect for the people of the country you are visiting than to learn the basics of their language?

Some vocabulary

Come on, it's not very complicated. Just a few words to remember, you can do it. You'll be amazed at the progress you've made in Japanese after reading this article!

What do you need to ask for directions? We must first of all get the person's attention. For this, the most often used term, "excuse me", in Japanese is sumimasen (すみません).

Suppose now that the place we want to reach is the train station. Station in Japanese is eki (駅).

Now for a short grammar lesson. In Japanese, a sentence is constructed as follows: subject - object - verb. So it is at the end of the phrase that we will ask "where is that located?" - And not at the beginning of the sentence such as in English. In Japanese: doko desu ka (どこですか).

Finally, the last element used is wa (は) to mark our subject (in this case the station. Still following?).

Now all that's left to do is make our sentence!

"Excuse me", "station" wa "where is"?

Which gives: sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka? (すみません、駅はどこですか。)

That's it, you've mastered Japanese! (well almost…)

Here are a few words of vocabulary that will be useful:

Right: migi 右

Left: hidari 左

In front: mae 前

Behind: ushiro 後ろ

Straight: Massugu まっすぐ

Mail: yubinkyoku 郵便局

Police station: Koban 交番

Department store: depaato デパ ート

Supermarket: konbini コンビニ

Metro / train = Chikatetsu / densha 地下鉄 / 電車

Some advice

When reading maps, you'll probably be used to having North positioned at the top. This may seem logical, but in Japan, we realize that that is not necessarily the case. Indeed, in Japan the map is oriented relative to your position when reading it. So what is at the top of the map is what will be in front of you. And why not? It's confusing at first, but not too complicated to decipher!

Also take note of distances! The Japanese have the annoying tendency to disregard dimensions on their maps. One centimeter can be 100 meters, then suddenly 300 meters on the same map...

In fact, were you aware that in Japan the streets generally don't have names? That sometimes makes it rather difficult... But don't worry, Japan is the land of impeccable service, and police officers located in small local buildings (koban, 交番) will be happy to help.

Oh, and one final useful vocabulary word that will be very appreciated: arigatou (thank you)!

Construction de phrase 

Pour demander son chemin, il faut avant toute chose interpeller unepersonne. Pour cela, on utilise le plus souvent le terme « excusez-moi », ce qui donne en japonais : sumimasen (すみません).

Petite leçon grammaticale ! En japonais, une phrase simple se construit de la manière suivante : sujet – complément – verbe.  Dans la phrase « Où se trouve la gare ?», "Où se trouve" sera placé en fin de phrase et "gare" au début.  

•  "Où se trouve ?" → Doko desu ka ? (どこですか ?).
•  "Gare" → eki (駅).

Enfin, dernier élément de formulation, on utilise wa (は) pour thématiser le sujet.  Dans notre exemple, le sujet est la gare.

Il ne reste plus qu’à former notre phrase : « Excusez-moi », « gare » wa « où est-ce que se trouve ? », ce qui donne : Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka ? (すみません、駅はどこですか ?)

Un peu de vocabulaire 

Voici quelques mots de vocabulaires qui vous seront utiles : 

• Droite : migi 右
• Gauche : hidari 左
• Devant : mae 前
• Derrière : ushiro 後ろ
• Tout droit : massugu まっすぐ
• La poste : yûbinkyoku 郵便局
• Poste de police : kôban 交番
• Grand magasin : depaato デパート
• Supermarché : konbini コンビニ
• Metro/train = chikatetsu/densha 地下鉄/電車

Quelques conseils

Attention aux distances ! Les Japonais ont la fâcheuse tendance à ne pas respecter les dimensions sur leurs cartes. Un centimètre peut représenter 100 mètres, puis 300 mètres à un autre endroit du même plan.

Les rues japonaises n’ont généralement pas de noms, ce qui peut être compliqué lorsque l'on cherche à se repérer. Pas d’inquiétude, des officiers de polices sont situés dans de petites bâtisses (kôban, 交番) et apportent les renseignements nécessaires aux touristes perdus.

Un dernier mot de vocabulaire utile et apprécié pour finir : arigatô (merci) !