LinguaThe same three distances, applied to places
ここ is where I am, そこ is where you are, あそこ is somewhere neither of us is standing, and どこ asks which place. The pattern is exactly the one you learnt for things, with the same first syllables – こ, そ, あ, ど – and once you see that, half the words in this unit are already familiar. 〜はどこですか is the single most useful sentence a traveller owns.
| Thing | Before a noun | Place | Direction (polite) |
|---|---|---|---|
| これ | この | ここ | こちら |
| それ | その | そこ | そちら |
| あれ | あの | あそこ | あちら |
| どれ | どの | どこ | どちら |
こちら: politer, and not only about direction
The fourth column began as a way of naming a direction, but it is now the polite twin of the place words as well: a shop assistant says こちらへどうぞ rather than ここへどうぞ, and おくにはどちらですか is politer than どこ. It also introduces people – こちらはたなかさんです – because pointing at a person with a place word would be too blunt.
すみません、トイレはどこですかExcuse me, where is the toilet?
こちらへどうぞThis way, please.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ここ | here | ここがいりぐちです This is the entrance. |
| そこ | there, near you | そこにおいてください Please put it there. |
| あそこ | over there | あそこがでぐちです The exit is over there. |
| どこ | where | うけつけはどこですか Where is the reception desk? |
| こちら | this way (polite) | こちらへどうぞ This way, please. |
| どちら | which way (polite) | おてあらいはどちらでしょうか Which way might the washroom be? |
| トイレ | toilet | トイレはこちらです The toilet is this way. |
| うけつけ | reception desk | うけつけはあそこです The reception desk is over there. |
| かいだん | stairs | かいだんをつかってください Please use the stairs. |
| エスカレーター | escalator | エスカレーターはあちらです The escalator is that way. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 2
- translate the sentence: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You want to ask a stranger where the toilet is. Which question do you use?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.