This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.
The こちら Series: こちら/そちら/あちら/どちら
[Nominal] の Place Words
Place Words の [Nominal]
X は Y にあります
Multiple Particles
Photographic Vocabulary Aid
こちら/そちら/あちら/どちら may refer to either "alternative" or "direction".
れい (Examples)
A: 入り口はこちらですか。
A: Is the entrance this side?
B: いえ、そちらです。
B: No, it's that side.
A: えきはどちらですか。
A: Where is the station?
B: あちらの方ですよ。
B: It's that way.
A: ケーキとパイがありますけど、どちらがおいしいですか。
A: There is cake and pie, but which is more delicious?
B: ケーキの方がおいしいです。
B: The cake is more delicious.
Express the following in Japanese.
A: Which way is Ueno?
B: It's further ahead.
The toilet is not this way. It's that way.
A: Which one is more difficult?
B: That one (near you) is more difficult.
れい (Examples)
えきのまえ
(in) front of the station
あのビルのむこう
beyond that building
ばいてんとトイレのあいだ
between the concession stand and the toilet
Express the following in Japanese.
れい (Examples)
まえのえき
the station in front
むこうのビル
the building beyond
ばいてんとトイレのあいだのこうしゅう電話
the public phone between the concession stand and the toilet
こちらのみせ
the store on this side
Express the following in Japanese.
The phrase-particle に is a location marker (of existence).
れい (Examples)
MIT は、ケンブリッジにあります。
MIT is in Cambridge.
A: 電話はどこにありますか。
A: Where is the phone?
B: 出口のまえにありますよ。
B: It's in front of the exit.
トイレは、このへんにありますか。
Is the toilet in this area?
このへんにトイレがありますか。
Is there a toilet in this area?
X は Y です can also be used to indicate the location of existence:
電話は、出口のまえです。
The phone is in front of the exit.
こうばんは、このみちのもう少しさきです。
The police box is a little ahead of this street.
Note, however, that "X は Y にです" and "Y に X です" are ungrammatical (the particle に cannot be directly connected with です or Nです):
** 電話は出口のまえにです。
** 出口のまえに電話です。
Express the following in Japanese.
A: As for the Tokyo Station, where is it?
B: It's behind that grey building.
A: What is there in front of that white building?
B: There are a kiosk and a telephone.
は and も replace を and が, but not に. Observe the functions of は and も in the following contexts:
出口はこちらの方にあります。
The exit is this way.
出口は、こちらの方にもあります。
The exit is this way, too.
こちらの方には、出口があります。
There is an exit in this way.
こちらの方にも、出口があります。
There is an exit in this way, too.
れい (Examples)
A: あのばいてんに英語のしんぶんがありますか。
A: Is an English newspaper in that kiosk?
B: いや、あのばいてんにはありませんよ。
B: No. Not in that kiosk.
A: おてあらいはどちらにありますか。
A: Where is the toilet?
B: えきの前にもうしろにもありますよ。
B: Both in the front and the back of the station.
Express the following in Japanese.
A: Is there a toilet in this building?
B: No, there isn't one in this building.
Telephones are both this way and that way over there.
The thumbnail photos below contain some of the words you know from this lesson. Click and check out the words.
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Photographic Vocabulary Aid: Main
[Grammar 6A | Grammar 6B]