Asking for directions and using public transport in Japanese

Level A2

Asking for directions and using public transport in Japanese

Use these phrases to ask for a route, give directions, buy a ticket, and check train times and transfers. Where English uses prepositions, Japanese uses particles after nouns: in “薬局で左に曲がってください”, で marks the pharmacy as the place to turn and に marks left as the direction. Polite forms with です or ます, requests with ください, and お願いします suit service encounters. With people you address casually, use forms such as 曲がってね, questions ending in の？, or plain questions such as 買える？ and 乗ればいい？.

Route words

Asking how to get somewhere

目的地までどう行けばいいですか。

Telling someone where to turn

目印で方向に曲がってください。

Checking which way to go

目印のところで方向に曲がればいいですか。

Saying how far to go

距離メートルまっすぐ進んでください。

A conversation about directions

Transport words

Choosing a train

目的地へはどの電車(でんしゃ)に乗ればいいですか。

Telling someone which train to take

出発時刻の電車(でんしゃ)に乗ってください。

Buying a ticket

目的地までの切符(きっぷ)を枚数お願いします。

Checking when a train leaves

交通機関は何時に出ますか。

Checking when you arrive

目的地には何時に着きますか。

Talking about changing trains

Japanese uses 乗り換える for changing trains. To ask whether a transfer is needed, say “乗り換えが必要ですか”; to ask where to change, say “どこで乗り換えるの？” The particle で marks the place where the change happens, as in “中央駅で乗り換える必要があります。” Use the polite form for a service encounter and the casual form with someone you address informally.

A conversation about a train journey

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