This document recaps lessons on describing locations in Japanese. It discusses using location words like "above", "below", "in front of", and "next to" to specify where an item or person is in relation to another thing. It also covers asking about locations using words like "where" and informing others of locations. Numbers of items can be indicated using counters after the number, like "three books" or "four students".

1. Lesson Recap
Lesson 9
Object(s) is/are (location).
X は ∼ にあります／います

2. In Lesson 8, we learned to tell and ask for the presence/existence of an item/
person X.
あります。
Prior to above sentences we did not know what/who is there, thus the
sentences introduce existence of item X and person X as new information
to listeners.
place に
a r i m a s ug an i
There is/are item/person X at place.
item X が
います。place に person X が
g an i i m a s u

3. In response, one can tell what/who is there as new information
and say ;
B1F
1F
?
?
B1F
1F
?
?
?
What is there on the 1st floor?
Who is there on the 1st floor of the basement?
ちかいっかい に おとこのひと が います。
いっかいに う けつけが あります。
うけつけ
おとこのひと
ikkai ni uketsuke ga arimasu
chika-ikkai ni otokono hito ga imasu
There is an reception desk on the 1st floor?
There is a man on the 1st floor of the basement?
いっかいに な にが ありま すか 。
ikkai ni nani ga arimasuka
ちかいっかいに だれが いま すか。
chika-ikkai ni dare ga imasuka
To ask item/person X, you can use the question words なに(what) for items
and だれ(who) for people, then say ;

4. However we ve already found out that
there is a reception desk on the 1st floor.
Let s ask receptionists of the location of
the post office in the building.
Besides, we know there are more facilities
in this building as the left figure, but we
don t know where these facilities are
located in the building.
Where is the post office?
うけつけ
uketsuke
?

5. You can use the question word どこ(where) and say ;
In response, the receptionists can inform you and say ;
yuubinkyoku wa doko ni arimasuka
ゆうびんきょくは どこにありますか。
yuubinkyoku wa sangai ni arimasu
ゆうびんきょくは ３がいにあります。
doko
is on the 3rd floor.
Where is the post office?
3F
The

6. が あります。
arimasuga
There is/are item X (@place).
は に あります。
arimasuwa n i
Item X is/are @place.
item X
item X
place
The first sentence below introduces existence of an item X.
The second sentence above tells the location description of the item X
to the listener(s).
place に
n i
X は place に あります／います
Item X becomes the subject of the sentence with a particle は .
( existence sentence )
( location sentence )
wa
ni de
*
* It calls for the particle に , rather than で , for the place description.

7. に あります。
arimasu
wa
n i
item X
に あります／います です
imasuperson X
に います。
は place
です。
You can also unify and replace に あります／います into です either to item X
and person X.
n i
arimasun i imasu desu
desu
Item X/ person X is/are @place.
When you ask locations of item X and person X, you can replace に ありますか
／いますか to ですか just like ;
yuubinkyoku wa doko ni arimasuka
ゆうびんきょくは どこにありますか。
Where is the post office?
yuubinkyoku wa doko desuka
ゆうびんきょくは どこですか。
wa
item X
person X
は place
yuubinkyoku wa sangai desu
(ゆうびんきょくは) 3がいです。
Q :
A :

8. In this lesson, we learn to describe locations in more detail. More
specifically, we learn to describe the location of an item/person relative to
another item, as in item/person X is in front of item/person Y.
wa
item X
person X
は place です。
desu
wa
item X
person X
は location word です。
desu
item/person Y
no
の
breaking down the place to more detailed
description with location words.
item/person X は item/person Y の まえです。

9. うえ
した
まえ
うしろ
なか
となり
ちかく
ue
shita
mae
ushiro
naka
tonari
chikaku
wa
item X
person X
は です。
desu
Y
no
の item X
person X
is/are Y.
on/above
under/
beneath
in front of
behind
inside
next to
near

10. Telling numbers of item/person X with counters.
の に
no ni
あります／います
number +
counter
が
ga arimasu imasu
There are three books on the desk.
location word
つくえのうえ に ほん が 3さつ あります。
Y X
There are four students in front of the convenience store.
コンビニのまえ に がくせい が よにん います。
no gani arimasu
imasu
san-satsuhontsukue ue
no gani yo-ningakuseikonbini mae
にん(nin) is used for the counter of people, however, there are two exceptions
for one person and two people as ひとり(hitori) and ふたり(futari).
*
*
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