JLPT N5 Japanese Places Vocabulary
Station, school, bank and library: the everyday Japanese place words at JLPT N5, with how to ask where they are.
Why this list
Place words are some of the first nouns you use in Japan: asking for the station, the restroom or a bank. Most are two or three kanji, and many end in a kanji that tells you the kind of place: 館 (building), 局 (office), 屋 (shop).
The words work with two particles. に says where something is (えきのちかくにぎんこうがあります, there is a bank near the station). で says where you do something (としょかんでべんきょうします, I study at the library).
Where is it, and what do you do there?
Two patterns cover most of what you need: 〜はどこですか to ask where something is, and に or で to say where something is or happens.
駅はどこですか。
えきは どこですか。
Eki wa doko desu ka.
Where is the station?
Say it: e-ki: two short morae.
駅の近くに銀行があります。
えきの ちかくに ぎんこうが あります。
Eki no chikaku ni ginkō ga arimasu.
There is a bank near the station.
Say it: ぎんこう has a long う: gi-n-ko-o. に marks where the bank is.
図書館で勉強します。
としょかんで べんきょうします。
Toshokan de benkyō shimasu.
I study at the library.
Say it: で marks where the studying happens. としょかん is to-sho-ka-n, four morae.
Drill these on the free flashcard tool, then continue the word list.
The 26 words
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 駅 | えき | eki | station |
| 家 | いえ | ie | house, home |
| 学校 | がっこう | gakkō | school |
| 会社 | かいしゃ | kaisha | company, office |
| 店 | みせ | mise | shop, store |
| 町 | まち | machi | town |
| 国 | くに | kuni | country |
| 部屋 | へや | heya | room |
| 台所 | だいどころ | daidokoro | kitchen |
| 風呂 | ふろ | furo | bath(usually おふろ) |
| 庭 | にわ | niwa | garden, yard |
| トイレ | トイレ | toire | restroom, toilet |
| アパート | アパート | apāto | apartment(usually a low-rise building) |
| デパート | デパート | depāto | department store |
| ホテル | ホテル | hoteru | hotel |
| レストラン | レストラン | resutoran | restaurant |
| 喫茶店 | きっさてん | kissaten | coffee shop |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう | ginkō | bank |
| 郵便局 | ゆうびんきょく | yūbinkyoku | post office |
| 図書館 | としょかん | toshokan | library |
| 公園 | こうえん | kōen | park |
| 本屋 | ほんや | hon'ya | bookstore |
| 交差点 | こうさてん | kōsaten | intersection |
| 信号 | しんごう | shingō | traffic light |
| 近く | ちかく | chikaku | nearby |
| 所 | ところ | tokoro | place |
Common questions
What's the difference between に and で with places?+
に marks where something is or where you go: こうえんにいきます (I go to the park). で marks where an action happens: こうえんであそびます (I play in the park).
How do I ask where something is?+
Say the place + はどこですか: トイレはどこですか (toire wa doko desu ka), where is the restroom? For more polite speech, use どちら instead of どこ.
Is マンション a mansion?+
No. マンション is a condominium or a mid- to high-rise apartment building. アパート is usually a smaller, low-rise one.
Why do so many place words end in the same kanji?+
The last kanji often names the kind of place: 館 in 図書館 (library) means a public building, and 屋 in 本屋 (bookstore) means a shop.
Related
These 26 words are part of this site's themed N5 editorial selection. Inku's mobile app expands that into a 551-card N5 bundle with bundled pronunciation audio and FSRS spaced review. Download Inku.
