Lesson 3.2: Being Specific

If you've ever asked someone for directions when you have no clue what the place looks like, you'd probably get super pissed when they just point to something in the distance and say "Over there". Since I'm assuming you'll want a better understanding of your path, the knowledge of what it is in Japanese will be needed. To start, let's work on your general sense of presence:

前《まえ》(Can't read it?)
[front]

後《うし》ろ
[back]

上《うえ》
[up]

下《した》
[down]

左《ひだり》
[left]

右《みぎ》
[right]

If it helps, look around and point out each place in Japanese so it better sticks(or if you have a box, write the different directions on it). On the off chance, someone ever asks you for some directions, one helpful phrase may be:

"(place)の(direction)"
[(direction) of the (place)]

So if you want to tell a friend you're in front of the McDonald's, you can say "マクドナルドの前"At times, however, there may be other words that may help you find the right distance between you and your desired destination:

反対《はんたい》
[opposite]

向い《むかい》
[across the street]

外《そと》
[outside]

中《なか》
[inside]

間《あいだ》
[between]

近《ちか》く
[nearby(meaning you can see it, but not quite touch it yet)]

側《そば》
[right near(as in close enough to touch, or taze)]

横《よこ》
[next to something different(like a piece of pizza near a small tub of ranch)]

隣《となり》
[neighboring something similar(1 house near another, 1 seat near another, etc )]

間 is used when describing when a location is between two others. Take for example this sentence:

(place)は博物館《はくぶつかん》と駅《えき》の間があります
[(place)is between the museum and the station]