Lesson 9: トイレは あそこですよ
N5 · Lesson 9 · 18 min — ここ・そこ・あそこ + the sentence endings ね and よ
No new verbs in this lesson! With just "N は + place です", you can ask where the toilet is or find the exit at a station. Let's start with the 4-panel comic!
After this lesson, you can:
- Say and ask where places are with ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ
- Add ね at the end to check or agree with someone
- Add よ at the end to tell someone something they don't know
Where's the toilet?
On the way home from the festival, Rin urgently looks for a toilet at the station...
あそこ is far away, そこ is near the other person; よ tells, ね checks together. Key info: Neko-sensei has no sense of direction.
Station words
- 駅 (eki): station
- 東京 (Tōkyō): Tokyo (place name)
- トイレ (toire): toilet, restroom
- 出口 (deguchi): exit
- 改札 (kaisatsu): ticket gates (where you enter and leave the station)
- 切符 (kippu): ticket
- 切符売り場 (kippu-uriba): ticket office / ticket machines
- ホーム (hōmu): platform
- コインロッカー (koin rokkā): coin locker
- こちら (kochira): this way, here (polite ここ)
- そちら (sochira): that way, there by you (polite そこ)
- あちら (achira): that way, over there (polite あそこ)
- どちら (dochira): which way, where (polite どこ)
Grammar 1 / 3: ここ・そこ
ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ: choose the place word by "who is closer"
- The こ・そ・あ・ど family: It works just like これ・それ・あれ・どれ from Lesson 7: こ = near me, そ = near you, あ = far from both of us, ど = asking "which / where". For things, use the これ group. For places, use the ここ group.
- "N は + place です" = N is (at) …: トイレは あそこです = The toilet is over there. To ask, change the place to どこ and add か at the end: トイレは どこですか。
- ここは〜です = This place is …: A place word can also be the topic: ここは 駅です (This is the station). If you get lost, you can ask: ここは どこですか。(Where am I?)
- Just recognize these: こちら・そちら・あちら・どちら: These are the polite versions of ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ. Station staff and shop staff say こちらです (it's this way) to customers. For now, just remember "こちら = ここ".
- ここは 駅ですか。 — Is this the station?
- トイレは どこですか。 — Where is the toilet?
- 出口は そこです。 — The exit is there (by you).
- 改札は あそこです。 — The ticket gates are over there.
Grammar 2 / 3: 〜ね
Add ね at the end: "…, right?" / "…, isn't it!" — to check or share a feeling
- ね = right? / isn't it!: Put it at the very end of the sentence. Use it when the other person probably knows it too, and you want to check or share the feeling.
- そうですね = Yes, that's right: When someone says something you agree with, answering そうですね sounds very natural. It feels more like "I think so too" than はい、そうです.
- Your voice goes up or down: To check, ね goes up a little at the end (right? ↗). To agree, it stays flat and goes down (yeah… ↘).
- ここは 東京駅ですね。 — This is Tokyo Station, right?
- 出口は あそこですね。 — (You can both see the sign) The exit is over there, right?
- あそこは 改札ですね。 — Those are the ticket gates over there, right?
- そうですね。 — Yes, that's right. / It sure is.
Grammar 3 / 3: 〜よ
Add よ at the end: "…, you know!" — to tell someone something they don't know
- よ = you know!: Put it at the very end of the sentence. Use it for things the other person doesn't know: to tell them or to remind them.
- ね or よ — how to choose?: First ask: does the other person know? We both know → ね. Only I know → よ.
- It works with negatives too: ここは 出口じゃありませんよ (This isn't the exit, you know). いいえ、ちがいますよ (No, that's not right).
- Careful: don't sound pushy: If you keep using よ with teachers or older people, it can sound like "Listen, I'm telling you!" — like a lecture. Keep a soft tone and don't add it to every sentence. Using it once when you're in a hurry or surprised is fine, like Rin in the comic.
- トイレは あそこですよ。 — The toilet is over there.
- ここは 出口じゃありませんよ。 — This isn't the exit, you know.
- それは わたしの 切符ですよ！ — Hey, that's my ticket!
- いいえ、ちがいますよ。 — No, that's not right.
- コインロッカーは あそこですよ。 — The coin lockers are over there. (kindly giving directions)