Finding the Main Entrance | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. すみません、正面入口へはどちらに行けばいいですか？

   Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?

   すみません

   Excuse me

   正面入口

   main entrance

   どちら

   which way

   行けばいいですか

   should I go?

   More detail

   すみません is a polite apology meaning “I’m sorry,” but it is also commonly used to get someone’s attention before a request. Here it works as “Excuse me.” Example: すみません、駅はどちらですか。 — “Excuse me, where is the station?” 正面入口 combines 正面 (“front” or “main”) and 入口 (“entrance”). Together, in this sentence, it means “main entrance.” 入口 is a useful noun meaning an entrance; its opposite is 出口, “exit.” The particle へ after this noun marks direction, so 正面入口へ means “toward the main entrance.” どちら is a polite question word used here for “which way.” It can also refer politely to which place or which one, depending on context; the fixed translation establishes the direction sense here. Example: 駅へはどちらですか。 — “Which way is the station?” 行けばいいですか asks what action is appropriate: “should I go?” The base form is 行く (“to go”), and 行けば is its conditional form, “if [someone] goes.” With いい (“good” or “okay”) and the question ending ですか, the pattern どうすればいいですか means “What should I do?” In this sentence, the omitted person is understood from the question rather than stated explicitly; the expression asks for the appropriate way to go, not for a literal condition or a guaranteed route. Together, 正面入口へは sets the destination as the topic or point of reference, どちら asks for the direction, and 行けばいいですか asks which way would be appropriate to go. With the polite attention-getter すみません, the whole utterance means: “Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?”

2. 黄色い案内表示に沿って、メインホールの方向へ進んでください。

   Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.

   黄色い

   yellow

   案内表示

   guide sign; directional sign

   に沿って

   along; following

   メインホール

   main hall

   方向

   direction

   進んでください

   please proceed

   More detail

   黄色い means “yellow” here. It is the attributive form of the i-adjective 黄色い, placed before a noun: 黄色い表示 means “yellow display/sign.” Its useful forms include 黄色い (non-past), 黄色かった (past), and 黄色くない (negative). The adjective describes 案内表示, not the direction or the action. 案内表示 is a compound noun meaning a sign or display that provides guidance, especially a directional sign in this setting. 案内 means guidance or information, while 表示 means a display or sign; together they form one useful noun for navigational signage. に沿って is the reusable pattern 名詞に沿って, meaning “along” or “following” something. Here, 案内表示に沿って means “following the signs.” The particle に marks the thing whose line, route, or guidance is followed, and 沿って is the te-form of 沿う (“to follow along; to run along”). Example: 川に沿って歩きます。 — “I walk along the river.” メインホール is a katakana compound meaning “main hall.” Katakana is commonly used for this borrowed-word expression; it is functioning as a noun in the sentence. 方向 means “direction.” In メインホールの方向, the particle の links the destination-related noun to 方向: “the direction of the main hall.” This does not by itself mean that the speaker has reached the hall; it identifies the direction toward it. 進んでください is a polite request meaning “please proceed” or “please continue.” The lexical verb is 進む (“to proceed; to move forward”), and 進んで is its te-form. The pattern てください asks someone politely to perform the action expressed by the preceding verb. Example: まっすぐ進んでください。 — “Please go straight.” Together, 黄色い案内表示に沿って gives “following the yellow signs,” メインホールの方向へ gives “toward the main hall,” and 進んでください gives the polite instruction “please proceed.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.”

3. 改札口を通った後、エスカレーターに乗ればいいですか？

   Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?

   改札口

   ticket gate

   を

   marks the thing passed through

   通った

   passed through

   後

   after

   エスカレーター

   escalator

   に

   onto

   乗ればいいですか

   should I take it?

   More detail

   改札口 means “ticket gate.” It is a noun; 改札 refers to ticket inspection, and 口 means an entrance or exit. In this sentence, the compound identifies the gate being passed through. を marks 改札口 as the object of 通った. With verbs such as 通る (“pass through”), it marks the place or thing passed through. 通った is the past form of 通る (“pass through”). Here, the past form describes an action completed before the next action: “having passed through.” Example: 駅を通った。 — “I passed through the station.” 後 means “after” and follows the completed-action phrase 改札口を通った to form “after passing through the ticket gate.” A useful pattern is [clause]後で, “after [clause]”; in this sentence, 後 is followed directly by a comma before the question’s main clause. エスカレーター means “escalator.” It is a noun written in Japanese phonetic script for a borrowed word. に follows エスカレーター because 乗る conventionally takes に for the vehicle or conveyance boarded or ridden. Thus エスカレーターに乗る means “ride/take the escalator.” This is a different use from を earlier: を marks what is passed through, while に marks what one gets onto or rides with 乗る. 乗ればいいですか asks whether doing the action is the appropriate choice. 乗れば is the conditional form of 乗る, and いいですか literally asks whether it is good or acceptable. Together, the pattern [verb conditional] + いいですか commonly means “should I …?” or “is it okay if I …?” Example: ここで待てばいいですか。 — “Should I wait here?” Putting the parts together: 改札口を通った後 means “after passing through the ticket gate,” and エスカレーターに乗ればいいですか asks whether taking the escalator is the appropriate next action. The whole utterance therefore means, “Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?”

4. エスカレーターで上に行って、それから右に曲がってください。

   Take it upstairs, then turn right.

   エスカレーター

   escalator

   上に

   upstairs

   行って

   go, and then

   それから

   then, after that

   右に

   to the right

   曲がってください

   please turn

   More detail

   エスカレーター means “escalator.” It is a noun, and Japanese commonly places a location or means phrase before the verb. Here, エスカレーターで means “by/on the escalator”; the particle で marks the means or route used for the action. Example: バスで行きます。 — “I go by bus.” 上に means “upward” or “upstairs.” 上 is “above/up,” and に marks the destination or direction. In this sentence, it describes the direction of going, not a separately stated object being carried. Example: 二階に行きます。 — “I go to the second floor.” 行って is the te-form of 行く (“to go”). The te-form links this action to what follows, often with the sense “go, and then …” when actions are presented in sequence. 行く is irregular in its te-form: 行って, not the predictable-looking 行いて. Example: 駅に行って、電話します。 — “I’ll go to the station and then call.” それから means “then” or “after that.” It explicitly marks the next step in a sequence. It is a useful connector when giving directions or describing actions in order. Example: 左に曲がります。それから、まっすぐ行きます。 — “I turn left. Then I go straight.” 右に means “to the right.” 右 is the noun “right-hand side,” and に marks the direction toward which the turning is made. The contrasting direction is 左に (“to the left”). Example: 次の角で右に曲がってください。 — “Please turn right at the next corner.” 曲がってください means “please turn.” 曲がる means “to turn,” and 曲がって is its te-form. Adding ください after a te-form makes a polite request: 曲がってください literally has the structure “turn, please.” The form is not the same as the plain command 曲がれ, which is much more forceful. Example: ここで止まってください。 — “Please stop here.” Together, エスカレーターで上に行って gives the first direction: go upward by the escalator. それから右に曲がってください gives the next direction: then turn to the right. The complete instruction is therefore: “Take it upstairs, then turn right.”

5. 正面入口はここから遠いですか？

   Is the main entrance far from here?

   正面入口

   main entrance

   ここから

   from here

   遠い

   far

   ですか

   is it...? / polite question ending

   More detail

   正面入口 means “main entrance” here. It is a noun phrase: 正面 means “front” or “main-facing,” and 入口 means “entrance.” Together, they identify the entrance being asked about. Example: 入口はどこですか？ — “Where is the entrance?” ここから means “from here.” ここ is the demonstrative “here,” and から marks the starting point or source. The phrase therefore sets the point from which distance is considered. Example: ここから駅まで歩きます。 — “I walk from here to the station.” 遠い means “far” or “distant.” It is an い-adjective; its dictionary form is also 遠い. A useful contrast is 近い, “near.” For example, 駅はここから遠いです。 — “The station is far from here.” ですか forms a polite question in this sentence. With an い-adjective such as 遠い, the adjective itself remains 遠い; です adds polite style, and か marks the utterance as a question. Compare the polite statement 遠いです。 — “It is far.” — with the question 遠いですか？ — “Is it far?” The structure is 正面入口は + ここから + 遠いですか？. は sets 正面入口 as the topic, ここから gives the reference point, and 遠いですか asks politely whether the entrance is far from that point. The whole utterance means: “Is the main entrance far from here?”

6. そこから歩いてすぐです。

   It is a short walk from there.

   そこから

   from there

   歩いて

   walking; on foot

   すぐです

   is close

   More detail

   そこから means “from there.” そこ is a demonstrative referring to a place that the context makes identifiable; its exact referent is not specified by this sentence alone. から marks the starting point or source. The reusable pattern Xから means “from X.” 歩いて comes from 歩く (“to walk”). It is the て-form, 歩いて, and here it links walking with the following description: “by walking” or “when walking.” The pattern 歩いてすぐ commonly means that the destination is reached very soon on foot. すぐです means “is close” here. すぐ expresses nearness or immediacy, and です gives the statement a polite form. In another context, すぐ can also mean “immediately” or “soon,” but the fixed translation supports the spatial meaning here. Together, そこから gives the starting point, 歩いて gives the means of getting there, and すぐです says that the destination is reached after only a short walk. Japanese leaves the destination or subject unstated because it is understood from the situation, so the complete meaning is: “It is a short walk from there.”

7. この駅は少し分かりにくいです。

   This station is a little confusing.

   この

   this

   駅

   station

   少し

   a little

   分かりにくい

   confusing; hard to understand

   です

   polite sentence ending

   More detail

   この points to a noun understood as “this …”. It is placed before the noun it modifies and does not itself mark number or gender. Example: この道 means “this road.” 駅 means “station.” It is a noun, and Japanese nouns do not normally change form to show singular versus plural. Example: 駅は近いです。 — “The station is nearby.” 少し means “a little” or “slightly” here. It reduces the degree of the following description rather than stating a precise measured amount. Example: 少し難しいです。 — “It is a little difficult.” 分かりにくい describes something as difficult to understand, follow, or find one’s way around. In this sentence, the station is characterized as confusing. The form is built from the verb 分かる (“to understand; to figure out”) and にくい, which expresses difficulty doing the verb: 分かり + にくい. A useful contrast is 分かりやすい, “easy to understand.” Example: この道順は分かりにくいです。 — “These directions are hard to follow.” です gives the sentence a polite style. After an adjective such as 分かりにくい, it makes the statement polite; it is not an additional description of the station by itself. A less polite version can end with the adjective alone: この駅は少し分かりにくい。 Together, この駅 identifies the topic as “this station,” は marks that topic, 少し lowers the degree, and 分かりにくいです politely says that it is difficult to understand or navigate. The complete meaning is: “This station is a little confusing.”

8. 上の階のほうが案内表示に従いやすいです。

   The signs are easier to follow upstairs.

   上の階

   upstairs

   のほうが

   the one that is more…

   案内表示

   signs

   従いやすい

   easy to follow

   More detail

   上の階 means “the upper floor” or “upstairs.” 上 means “above” or “up,” and 階 means a building floor. Together, this phrase identifies an upper floor. Example: 上の階に行きます。 — “I’m going to the upper floor.” のほうが marks the item preferred in a comparison. The reusable pattern AのほうがB means “A is more B” or “A is the easier/better option” than another understood option. Here, 上の階のほうが presents upstairs as the location where the signs are easier to follow. Example: 電車のほうが速いです。 — “The train is faster.” 案内表示 means “directional signs” or “guidance signage.” 案内 concerns guidance or directions, while 表示 refers to a displayed indication; together, they form a compound noun for signs that provide guidance. Example: 案内表示を見てください。 — “Please look at the signs.” 従いやすい means “easy to follow” here. Its base verb is 従う, “to follow” or “to comply with.” Before やすい, the verb uses its stem 従い: 従い + やすい means “easy to follow.” The pattern verb stem + やすい is reusable: 読みやすい means “easy to read,” and 使いやすい means “easy to use.” With signs, 従う means following their directions. Example: この説明は理解しやすいです。 — “This explanation is easy to understand.” です politely presents the statement. Combined in order, 上の階のほうが selects upstairs in a comparison, and 案内表示に従いやすいです says that the guidance signs are easier to follow there. The whole utterance means: “The signs are easier to follow upstairs.”