You are here:About>Education>Japanese Language
About.comJapanese Language

Basic Lessons

Asking Directions (9)

Dialogue 

Click here for the dialogue for "Asking Directions."

How to Ask the Whereabouts

Here are the phrases to ask the whereabouts of things. 

Where is ~? ~ wa doko ni arimasu ka.
～はどこにありますか。
~ wa doko desu ka.
～はどこですか。
~ wa doko. 
～はどこ。
(With rising intonation, informal speech)

To ask politely, use "deshou ka （でしょうか）" instead of "desu ka （ですか）." You can also change "doko （どこ）" to "dochira （どちら）."

Where is ~?

 ~ wa doko deshou ka.
～はどこでしょうか。
~ wa dochira desu ka.
～はどちらですか。
~ wa dochira deshou ka.
～はどちらでしょうか。

To ask where a person or animal is, you can use the pattern above. However, "arimasu （あります）" has to be changed to "imasu （います）." As we have learned before, "arimasu" is used for inanimate things, and "imasu" for animate things. Click here to learn more about them. 

Denwa wa doko ni arimasu ka.
電話はどこにありますか。		 Where is the telephone?
Osaka eki wa doko desu ka.
大阪駅はどこですか。		 Where is Osaka Station?
Basutei wa doko deshou ka.
バス停はどこでしょうか。		 Where is the bus stop?
Ono-san wa doko ni imasu ka.
小野さんはどこにいますか。		 Where is Mr. Ono?
Kyouju wa dochira deshou ka.
教授はどちらでしょうか。		 Where is the professor?

Next Lesson     Basic Lesson Archives

New posts to the Japanese Language forums:

Translate my love note?can any one please help me translate?How to say this?

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name
 Email

From Namiko Abe,
Your Guide to Japanese Language.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Newsletters & RSSEmail to a friendSubmit to Digg
 All Topics | Email Article | | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.