The short version: Japanese builds location out of one frame — place の position に thing が あります. 机の上に本があります = there is a book on the desk. Learn the frame, drop twelve position words into it, and remember that 上, 下 and friends are nouns, which is why the の is not optional.
“Where is it?” is one of the first things you actually need in a new country, and one of the last things a beginner course gets to. So you end up able to say I am a student and completely unable to say it's behind the station.
The good news is that Japanese does this with a single reusable shape. Once you see it, every location sentence in the language looks the same.
desk ’s — top — at — book — exists
Notice the direction of travel: Japanese starts wide (the desk), narrows to the exact spot (its top), and only then tells you what is there (a book). English does the opposite. That single habit is most of what makes location sentences feel backwards at first.
The twelve position words
The frame in action
机の上に本があります。つくえのうえにほんがあります。There is a book on the desk.
いすの下に猫がいます。いすのしたにねこがいます。There is a cat under the chair.
駅の前にコンビニがあります。えきのまえにコンビニがあります。There is a convenience store in front of the station.
銀行の隣にカフェがあります。ぎんこうのとなりにカフェがあります。There is a cafe next to the bank.
本屋と駅の間にあります。ほんやとえきのあいだにあります。It's between the bookshop and the station.
あります or います? One question: is it alive?
| Verb | Use for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| います | People, animals — things that move by themselves | 部屋に猫がいます |
| あります | Objects, plants, buildings, events | 机の上に本があります |
Flipping the frame
If you already know what you are talking about, put it first as the topic with は. Both sentences below are correct; they answer different questions.
机の上に何がありますか。— 本があります。つくえのうえになにがありますか。ほんがあります。What's on the desk? — A book.
本はどこにありますか。— 机の上にあります。ほんはどこにありますか。つくえのうえにあります。Where's the book? — On the desk.
Asking, and understanding the answer
すみません、トイレはどこですか。すみません、トイレはどこですか。Excuse me, where is the toilet?
Then comes the harder half: the reply. These are the five you will actually hear.
| They say | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| あそこです。 | あそこです | It's over there. |
| まっすぐです。 | まっすぐです | Straight ahead. |
| 右に曲がってください。 | みぎにまがってください | Please turn right. |
| 二階です。 | にかいです | It's on the second floor. |
| エレベーターの隣です。 | エレベーターのとなりです | Next to the lift. |
隣, 横 and そば are not the same
| Word | Meaning | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| 隣 となり | Next to, in a line | The two things are the same kind: two shops, two houses, two seats. |
| 横 よこ | At the side of | Anything beside anything. No matching required. |
| そば | Near, close by | Nearby but not touching. 近く works the same way. |
So a chair is 横 or そば of a desk, but a shop is 隣 to another shop. Nobody will misunderstand you if you pick the wrong one — but choosing correctly is one of those small things that makes your Japanese sound considered.
Practise it in your own room
This is the rare grammar point you can drill without any material at all. Look up from this page and describe five things you can see.
テーブルの上にコップがあります。There's a cup on the table.
ドアの後ろにかばんがあります。There's a bag behind the door.
窓のそばにいすがあります。There's a chair by the window.
1. Learn the frame, not twelve separate words. Kanjijo's N5–N1 grammar bank teaches each pattern with worked sentences in furigana with native audio, so the frame arrives already filled in.
2. Fix the words in place. Every kanji and word carries an exclusive mnemonic, and the SRS engine returns each one the day before you would forget it.
3. Train the reply, not just the question. Asking どこですか is easy; understanding the answer is the real skill, which is what the JLPT listening practice and the dictation track are for.
4. Say it out loud. The conversation and shadowing tracks put these exact exchanges in your mouth, and the home, lock screen and interactive test widgets keep the words nearby all day.
- Full N5–N1 grammar bank
- Example sentences with audio
- Exclusive kanji & vocab mnemonics
- SRS spaced repetition
- Home & lock screen widgets
- Interactive test widget
- JLPT reading practice
- JLPT listening practice
- Mock JLPT tests
- Conversation & shadowing
- Dictation training
- OCR scanner
Quick reference
- The frame
- place + の + position + に + thing + が + あります / います
- The twelve
- 上 下 中 外 前 後ろ 右 左 隣 間 そば 向かい
- の is compulsory
- They are nouns: 机の上 = the desk's top.
- 間
- Takes two places joined by と: A と B の間に.
- あります / います
- Not alive / alive. Plants take あります.
- Asking
- 〜はどこですか → あそこです · まっすぐです · 右に曲がってください · 二階です
- 隣 / 横 / そば
- Same kind in a line / at the side / nearby.
Related Reading on Kanjijo
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the frame place + の + position word + に + thing + が + あります/います. 机の上に本があります means there is a book on the desk. Japanese names the wide place first, narrows to the exact spot, then says what is there — the reverse of English order. You can flip it to topic-first: 本は机の上にあります.
Because 上, 下, 中 and the rest are nouns, not prepositions. 机の上 literally means the desk's top, so の does the job of apostrophe-s. Dropping it (机上に) is a common beginner error and sounds clearly wrong.
隣 means next to in a line and usually implies the two things are the same kind (two shops, two houses). 横 simply means at the side of, with no matching required. そば and 近く mean near or nearby without touching.
います is for people and animals — things that move by themselves. あります is for objects, plants, buildings and events. A parked taxi takes あります; the driver inside takes います.
すみません、トイレはどこですか. The pattern is thing + は + どこですか and works for anything. Common answers: あそこです, まっすぐです, 右に曲がってください, 二階です. If it comes too fast, say もう一度お願いします.
One frame, and the room starts talking
Kanjijo carries the full N5–N1 grammar bank with worked examples in furigana and native audio, exclusive mnemonics for every kanji and word, an SRS engine timed to the moment before you forget, home, lock screen and interactive test widgets, plus JLPT reading and listening practice, mock tests, conversation, shadowing, dictation and an OCR scanner. Free on iPhone.
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