Latest / Learn Japanese with Fexingo / Japanese Asking for Directions - Landmarks
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey, welcome back to Learn Japanese with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Episode 81, can you believe it? Lucas: I know, right? And today we're going to help you get around town a little better. Luna: Oh, are we talking about directions? I still get lost sometimes. Lucas: Exactly. So today we're focusing on asking for directions using landmarks. It's super practical. Luna: I love that. Landmarks are easier than street names, especially in a new place. Lucas: Totally. So let's start with a key word: まっすぐ. It means 'straight' or 'straight ahead'. Luna: まっすぐ. That sounds like 'massugu'. Lucas: Exactly. まっすぐ. So if someone says まっすぐ行ってください, that means 'please go straight'. Luna: まっすぐ行ってください. Got it. So I can use that when someone tells me to go straight. Lucas: Right. Now let's add a landmark: 信号. That's 'traffic light'. Luna: 信号. Sounds like 'shingoo'. Lucas: Yes. 信号. So you might hear 信号をまっすぐ, which is a bit informal, but it means 'straight at the traffic light'. Or more formally, 信号のところをまっすぐ行ってください. Luna: 信号のところをまっすぐ行ってください. That's a lot, but I think I can break it down. Lucas: Yeah, take it piece by piece. 信号のところ means 'at the traffic light'. So it's 'please go straight at the traffic light'. Luna: Okay, that helps. What about intersections? I always get confused at intersections. Lucas: Perfect word for that: 交差点. That's 'intersection'. Luna: 交差点. 'Kousaten'. That's a bit of a mouthful. Lucas: It is, but you'll hear it a lot. Say it with me: 交差点. Luna: 交差点. Okay, I think I've got it. Lucas: Great. Now let's add turning. 右に曲がる means 'turn right'. 右 is 'right', に is a particle, 曲がる is 'to turn'. Luna: 右に曲がる. So 'migi ni magaru'. Lucas: Exactly. And left is 左に曲がる. Luna: 左に曲がる. 'Hidari ni magaru'. This is starting to feel like a dance move. Lucas: Maybe it is. So you could say 交差点を右に曲がってください — 'please turn right at the intersection'. Luna: 交差点を右に曲がってください. Okay, I think I can say that. Lucas: Let's practice a little scenario. Imagine you're lost and you ask someone for directions. First, you might say すみません, 道に迷いました. That means 'excuse me, I'm lost'. Luna: 道に迷いました. 'Michi ni mayoi mashita'. That's a good one. So I can start with that. Lucas: Yes. 道 means 'road' or 'path', 迷う means 'to get lost'. So 道に迷いました is 'I got lost'. Luna: And then they might say something like 信号をまっすぐ行って、交差点を左に曲がってください. Lucas: Exactly. 'Go straight at the traffic light, then turn left at the intersection.' Let's break that down. 信号をまっすぐ行って — 'go straight at the traffic light', 交差点を左に曲がって — 'turn left at the intersection'. The て form connects actions. Luna: So it's like 'go straight, then turn left'. That's so useful. I'm going to practice that. Lucas: You know, if Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with Japanese, and you want to keep these episodes ad-free and coming, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it helps us keep going. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps, and we really appreciate it. But back to directions! Lucas: Right. So let's say you're at a 交差点 and you need to go straight. You can confirm by saying まっすぐですか？ — 'Is it straight?' Luna: まっすぐですか？ That's a good check. So I can ask that if I'm unsure. Lucas: Exactly. Or you can say ここはどこですか？ — 'Where is here?' if you're really lost. Luna: ここはどこですか？ That's from earlier episodes, right? I remember that one. Lucas: Yes, we covered that. So today we added まっすぐ, 信号, 交差点, 右に曲がる, 左に曲がる, and 道に迷う. That's a solid set for getting around. Luna: Let me try to put it all together. すみません、道に迷いました。信号をまっすぐ行って、交差点を右に曲がってください。 Does that work? Lucas: Perfect. 'Excuse me, I'm lost. Please go straight at the traffic light and turn right at the intersection.' You nailed it. Luna: Aww, thanks. Practice makes perfect. Lucas: Absolutely. So listeners, try using these next time you're out. Practice まっすぐ, 信号, 交差点, and the turns. We'll be back with more soon. Luna: See you next time! Practice these till we chat again.