町でGetting Around
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify and name common transportation and route vocabulary, including stations, trains, streets, and directional words.
- Describe movement to and from a place using 行きます, 来ます, and 帰ります with the particles に and へ.
- State the means of transportation used with the particle で.
- Describe a route's starting point and destination with から and まで.
- Form the plain て-form of familiar verbs for the first time.
- Make a polite request using 〜てください.
- Read and interpret simple station signs, maps, and directional notices.
- Recognize, read, and begin to handwrite the fourteen new Unit III kanji for movement, transportation, and direction.
- Ask for and give simple directions in a short guided interaction.
Communication Scenario
Tom has an appointment across town. He needs to find the train station near his home, ask a station employee for help, and follow a friend's spoken directions to a new coffee shop. This chapter follows Tom as he moves around his neighborhood and learns the language of asking for and giving directions.
- This chapter opens Unit III. It introduces new vocabulary for transportation and movement, and it introduces the て-form for the first time, used here to make polite requests with 〜てください.
- By the end of the chapter, you will be able to ask how to get somewhere, understand simple directions, state how you travel and where you are going, and write a short set of directions to a familiar place.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary covers routes, transportation, and public-place language needed to move around a town or city and ask for help along the way.
Places and Transportation
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 駅 | えき | train station |
| 電車 | でんしゃ | train |
| バス | バス | bus |
| 車 | くるま | car |
| タクシー | タクシー | taxi |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ | bicycle |
| 道 | みち | road; street; way |
| 入り口／出口 | いりぐち／でぐち | entrance; exit |
Direction Words
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東／西／南／北 | ひがし／にし／みなみ／きた | east; west; south; north |
| まっすぐ | まっすぐ | straight ahead |
| まがります | まがります | to turn |
| わたります | わたります | to cross |
| おります／のります | おります／のります | to get off; to get on/board |
Movement Verbs
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行きます | いきます | to go |
| 来ます | きます | to come |
| 帰ります | かえります | to go home; to return |
| 歩きます | あるきます | to walk |
You already know the location words ここ／そこ／あそこ and the position nouns の上／下／中／右／左／前／後ろ from Chapter 6. This chapter's direction vocabulary works together with those earlier words: you will use position nouns to say where something is located and the new direction words to say how to get there.
Script and Kanji Focus
This chapter introduces fourteen new kanji connected to movement, transportation, and direction. Furigana marks each new kanji throughout the chapter, and it will be gradually reduced in later chapters as these characters become consolidated.
Notice that 入 and 出 combine with 口 to form 入り口 (entrance) and 出口 (exit). These are extremely common words on Japanese station signs, building directories, and maps. The okurigana り appears in 入り口 but not in 出口; learn each written form as a complete word rather than assembling it from a rule.
れんしゅう — Practice: Copy each new kanji five times, saying its reading aloud each time. Then write the two words 入り口 and 出口 from memory, checking your okurigana against the example above.
Pronunciation Focus
Several new words in this chapter contain a long vowel that changes meaning if shortened. Say each pair aloud, holding the long vowel for a full extra mora:
- とおい (とお + い, far) — hold the long お
- とうきょう — Tokyo, with two long vowels in sequence
Also practice the moraic ん in でんしゃ (train) and じてんしゃ (bicycle): keep it as a single, clearly timed mora rather than blending it into the following consonant.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
1. Movement verbs with に and へ
Purpose: to state a destination.
行きます (go), 来ます (come), and 帰ります (return) take a destination marked by に or へ. Both particles are acceptable for a destination in this pattern; へ emphasizes direction slightly more than に, but the difference rarely changes meaning at this level.
- 駅に行きます。I am going to the station.駅[destination]+に / 行きます[go]
- うちへ帰ります。I am going home.うち[home]+へ / 帰ります[return]
2. Means of transportation with で
Purpose: to state how one travels.
The particle で, already familiar as the particle for the location of an activity, also marks the means of transportation.
- 電車で行きます。I go by train.電車[train]+で[means] / 行きます
- 自転車で来ました。I came by bicycle.自転車+で / 来ました[came]
Error: *歩きでうちへ帰ります。
Correction: 歩いてうちへ帰ります。 — Walking uses the て-form of 歩きます, not the particle で, because walking is treated as a manner of moving rather than a vehicle.
3. から and まで for routes
Purpose: to state a starting point and an endpoint.
You have used から for origin since Chapter 3. Paired with まで, it now marks the start and end of a route, a distance, or a duration.
- 駅から学校まで歩きます。I walk from the station to school.駅+から[from] / 学校+まで[to] / 歩きます
- うちから駅まで十分ぐらいです。It's about ten minutes from home to the station.
4. Polite requests with 〜てください
Purpose: to politely ask someone to do something.
Attach ください to the て-form of a verb to make a polite request. This is the first productive use of the て-form in the course; a fuller range of て-form meanings and connections will be introduced across Chapters 12 and 13.
- まっすぐ行ってください。Please go straight ahead.行って[て-form of 行きます] + ください
- 右にまがってください。Please turn right.まがって[て-form] + ください
- ここでおりてください。Please get off here.
This chapter authorizes the て-form only for building 〜てください requests. Do not use the て-form productively to connect two clauses ("I do X and then Y") yet; that use begins in Chapter 13, once more verb groups and contexts have been practiced.
Grammar Practice
- えき＿＿行きます。 (destination particle)
- バス＿＿行きます。 (means particle)
- うち＿＿えき＿＿あるいて五分です。 (route particles)
- Rewrite as a polite request: まっすぐ行きます。 → ______
- Rewrite as a polite request: 左にまがります。 → ______
Model Dialogue
Setting: Tom stops a station employee to ask how to get to the north exit.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What two directions does the employee give first?
- Where does the employee say the bus stop is located?
- Find one example of the て-form used to make a request.
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Build a route. Using the pattern from ○○から○○まで, describe your route from home to a familiar place (school, work, or a shop), including your means of transportation.
タスク２ — Give three directions. Using 〜てください, write three short directions someone could follow to get from a train station to a nearby park or shop.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — How Yuki gets to school
ゆきさんのうちはえきからちょっととおいです。まいあさ、じてんしゃでえきまで行きます。それから、でんしゃにのります。でんしゃでがっこうのちかくのえきまで行って、それからあるいてがっこうまで行きます。ぜんぶで三十分ぐらいです。かえりは、がっこうからえきまであるいて、でんしゃにのって、それからじてんしゃでうちへ帰ります。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Draw a simple route diagram showing Yuki's four stages of travel to school (with the mode of transport for each stage), then compare it with a partner or check it against the passage.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick answers
- がっこうまで何で行きますか。
- うちからえきまでどのぐらいですか。
- まいにちあるいて行きますか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Ask for directions
With a partner, take turns asking for and giving directions between two places on a simple map you draw together. Use at least two 〜てください requests and one から〜まで phrase.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Describe your commute
Record yourself describing, in five to six sentences, how you get from home to a place you visit often, including your means of transportation and approximate time.
Reading Practice
Read the following station sign and short note, then answer the questions below.
えきのかんばん — Station sign
北口 ←
南口 →
入り口 ／ 出口
ともだちからのメモ — A note from a friend
えきから出て、道をまっすぐ行ってください。それから、右にまがってください。コーヒーの店は左にあります。駅から店まで五分ぐらいです。バスや車はいりません。あるいて来てください。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- According to the sign, which direction is the north exit?
- What three directions does the friend give in order?
- How long does the walk take, and what mode of transport does the friend suggest?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short set of directions to a place you know well.
- Choose a destination. Pick a place a friend might want to visit, such as your home, a shop, or a park.
- List the steps in English first. Note the starting point, at least three directional steps, and the destination.
- Write an opening sentence stating the starting point and destination with から and まで.
- Write three to four direction sentences using 〜てください, まっすぐ, まがります, and わたります as needed.
- Add a sentence about transportation or distance, using で for means or a time expression for duration.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I stated the starting point and destination with から and まで.
- I used at least two 〜てください requests correctly formed from the て-form.
- I used a direction word (まっすぐ, 右, 左, 東, 西, 南, or 北) accurately.
- I stated a means of transportation with で, or noted that the route is on foot.
- I used the new Unit III kanji correctly, with furigana.
- I ended each sentence with 。 and ordered my directions logically.
Culture and Communication
Beginning a request to a stranger with すみません ("excuse me") is a common and polite way to open an interaction in many everyday Japanese contexts, whether speaking to a station employee, a shopkeeper, or a passerby. This softens the interruption and signals a polite request is coming, regardless of the specific words that follow.
Large stations in major cities often have multiple named exits (such as north, south, east, and west exits) with different surrounding businesses and landmarks, while smaller stations may have only one or two. When giving or asking for directions in an unfamiliar area, confirming the exit name is a practical habit, not a sign of confusion.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *駅で行きます。 (intending "I go to the station")
Correction: 駅に行きます。 — Use に or へ for the destination itself; reserve で for the means of transportation or the location where an activity happens.
Error: *右にまがって。 (used where a full polite request is expected)
Correction: 右にまがってください。 — At this stage, always complete the pattern with ください when making a polite request; the bare て-form alone will be developed later as a separate, more casual use.
Error: *出り口
Correction: 出口 — Only 入り口 takes the okurigana り; 出口 does not. Learn each word's spelling individually.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Give the Japanese for train, bus, bicycle, and taxi.
2. Give the Japanese for east, west, south, and north.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write any eight of the fourteen new Chapter 11 kanji from memory, with their readings.
2. Write 入り口 and 出口, checking your okurigana.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write a sentence stating a destination with に or へ.
2. Write a sentence stating a means of transportation with で.
3. Write a sentence with から and まで describing a route.
4. Write two polite requests using 〜てください.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the friend's note in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing the directions given.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a five-sentence set of directions from a station to a place of your choice.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Give spoken directions from your home to a familiar place, then answer two follow-up questions from a partner or instructor.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
道あんない — Giving directions
You will produce a connected spoken and written set of directions to a place you know well, and respond to a partner's directions in a short interaction.
- Written: Write at least eight sentences of directions from a stated starting point to a stated destination, including a means of transportation or a statement that the route is on foot, and at least three 〜てください requests.
- Spoken: Give the same directions aloud from memory, without reading directly from your written text.
- Interaction: Listen to a partner's or instructor's directions to an unfamiliar place and ask at least two clarifying questions.
- Script check: Hand-write at least eight of the fourteen new kanji from memory, and read aloud a short station sign or note furnished by your instructor.
Assessment focus: accurate destination and means particles; correct から〜まで route phrasing; correctly formed て-form requests with ください; accurate direction vocabulary; accurate Chapter 11 kanji with furigana; and a clearly ordered, followable set of directions.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
1. えきに行きます。 2. バスで行きます。 3. うちからえきまであるいて五分です。 4. まっすぐ行ってください。 5. 左にまがってください。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Go straight ahead, then turn right.
- In front of the road, after exiting the north gate and crossing the street.
- Example: まっすぐ行ってください or 道をわたってください.
Listening task — Model diagram description
Bicycle to the station; train to the station near school; walk to school; return trip in reverse order (walk, train, bicycle).
Reading — Comprehension
- To the left, based on the arrow direction shown for 北口.
- Exit the station, go straight, then turn right.
- About five minutes; the friend suggests walking rather than taking a bus or car.
Chapter Review — Section A
- 電車／バス／自転車／タクシー.
- 東／西／南／北.
Chapter Review — Section B
Open-ended; check against the kanji grids above and the 入り口／出口 example.
Chapter Review — Section C
- Model: 学校に行きます。
- Model: 電車で行きます。
- Model: 駅から学校まで歩きます。
- Model: まっすぐ行ってください。右にまがってください。
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: 駅を出て、道をまっすぐ行って、右にまがります。コーヒーの店は左にあります。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate spoken work against the Performance Task assessment focus.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can name common forms of transportation, state a destination and means of travel, describe a route from one place to another, form the て-form of familiar verbs, make polite requests with 〜てください, and read and write simple directions using the fourteen new Unit III kanji.