Latest / Learn Japanese with Fexingo / Japanese Direction Words: Up & Down
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another Japanese episode? Luna: Always! What are we learning today? Lucas: Today we're talking about direction words - up and down. In Japanese, 'up' is 上, and 'down' is 下. Luna: 上 and 下. Okay, I remember seeing those somewhere. So 上 is up? Lucas: Exactly. Let's practice saying them. Repeat after me: 上. Luna: 上. Lucas: And 下. Luna: 下. Lucas: Great. Now, to say something is on top, we can say 上にあります. That means 'it is on top'. Luna: 上にあります. So if I put my phone on the table, I can say 電話は机の上にあります? Lucas: Perfect! That's exactly right. 電話は机の上にあります means 'the phone is on the table'. Luna: Nice. And for down, it's 下にあります? Lucas: Yes. 下にあります means 'it is under' or 'down below'. For example, 猫は椅子の下にいます means 'the cat is under the chair'. Luna: 猫は椅子の下にいます. That's cute. But wait, you used います instead of あります? Why? Lucas: Good catch! For living things like cats, we use います. For objects, we use あります. So 猫は椅子の下にいます, but 本は机の下にあります. Luna: Ah, right. 本は机の下にあります. The book is under the desk. Lucas: Exactly. Let's practice all four: 上, 下, 上にあります, 下にあります. Luna: 上, 下, 上にあります, 下にあります. Lucas: Awesome. Now let's do a tiny story. Imagine there's a cat on a chair and a book under the desk. How would you say that? Luna: Hmm... 猫は椅子の上にいます, and 本は机の下にあります. Lucas: Perfect! You've got it. Luna: Thanks! These words are really useful. I can already picture my room: 猫はベッドの上にいます, and 靴はベッドの下にあります. Lucas: Love it. You're using it in real life already. Luna: So, is there a quick way to ask where something is using these? Lucas: Sure. You can say どこにありますか for objects, or どこにいますか for living things. For example, 猫はどこにいますか? 'Where is the cat?' Luna: 猫はどこにいますか. And the answer could be 猫は椅子の上にいます. Lucas: Exactly. You're a natural. Luna: Hey Lucas, I just realized - Fexingo has been helping me make actual progress with Japanese. I mean, I can now describe where things are. It's small but it feels real. Lucas: Yeah, that's the whole point. And if Fexingo's been helping you too, listeners, a couple of dollars a month genuinely makes a difference. It's what keeps these ad-free and coming. Luna: Right. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo - even a small amount helps us keep teaching. Lucas: Totally. Now, back to practice. Let's try a full sentence: 私のペンは机の上にあります. Luna: 私のペンは机の上にあります. My pen is on the desk. Lucas: And 私の猫はベッドの下にいます. Luna: 私の猫はベッドの下にいます. My cat is under the bed. Lucas: Excellent. So today we learned 上 and 下, and how to use them with あります and います. Repeat after me one more time: 上. Luna: 上. Lucas: 下. Luna: 下. Lucas: 上にあります. Luna: 上にあります. Lucas: 下にあります. Luna: 下にあります. Lucas: Great job, Luna. Practice using these around your home. See you next time! Luna: See you! またね!