Finding the Main Entrance | Learn Japanese in English

Japanese lesson set in a contemporary Tokyo everyday setting: Inside a station, one adult asks how to reach the main entrance and follows signs past the ticket gate..

EN → JA / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Finding the Main Entrance to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

すみません、正面入口へはどちらに行けばいいですか？

soo-mee-mah-SEN, sho-MEN ee-ree-goo-chee e wa DOH-chee-rah nee ee-keh-bah EE dess kah Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?
B

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。

kee-ROH-ee ahn-NAI hyoh-JEE nee SOHT-teh, MAYN hoh-ROO noh hoh-KOH e soo-SOON-deh koo-dah-SAI Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.
A

改札口を通った後、エスカレーターに乗ればいいですか？

KAI-saht-soo-goo-chee oh TOHT-tah AH-toh, eh-soo-kah-RAY-tah nee NOH-reh-bah EE dess kah Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?
B

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。

eh-soo-kah-RAY-tah deh OO-eh nee EE-tteh, soh-reh-kah-rah mee-GEE nee mah-GAHT-teh koo-dah-SAI Take it upstairs, then turn right.
A

正面入口はここから遠いですか？

sho-MEN ee-ree-goo-chee wa KOH-koh kah-rah toh-OH-ee dess kah Is the main entrance far from here?
B

そこから歩いてすぐです。

SOH-koh kah-rah ah-roo-EE-teh soo-GOO dess It is a short walk from there.
A

この駅は少し分かりにくいです。

KOH-noh EH-kee wa soo-KOH-shee wah-kah-ree nee-KOO-ee dess This station is a little confusing.
B

上の階のほうが案内表示に従いやすいです。

OO-eh noh KAI noh hoh-GAH ahn-NAI hyoh-JEE nee shee-tah-GAI yah-SOO-ee dess The signs are easier to follow upstairs.

Word by Word

すみません すみません is a polite “excuse me” used here to get someone’s attention before asking for directions. It is useful when speaking to a staff member or stranger in a public place.
正面入口 正面入口 means “main entrance,” the entrance the speaker is trying to find. It can be followed by へ when indicating the destination, as in 正面入口へ.
へ へ shows the direction or destination toward which the speaker wants to go, as in 正面入口へ. A destination or direction can come before へ.
は は marks 正面入口へ as the topic of the question in 正面入口へはどちらに行けばいいですか. It highlights the route toward the main entrance that the speaker is asking about.
どちら どちら means “which way” in this polite request for directions. It is used here before に in どちらに行けばいいですか to ask which direction is appropriate.
に に marks the direction in どちらに行けばいいですか. With a movement expression, it can follow a direction or destination to show where someone should go.
行けば 行けば contributes the idea “if I go” or “should I go” in 行けばいいですか. It is the conditional form of 行く, and with いいですか it asks what action or route would be right.
いい いい means “good” or “okay” in 行けばいいですか, helping form the question “should I go?” or “would it be okay to go?” The pattern conditional form + いいですか is useful for asking for advice about the right action.
です です makes いいですか polite in this question. It appears after the adjective いい and before the question marker か.
か か marks the end of the polite question いいですか. It turns the preceding polite statement into a question.
黄色い 黄色い means “yellow” and describes the 案内表示 in 黄色い案内表示. This form is used directly before a noun to identify its color.
案内表示 案内表示 means “direction signs” or signs that provide route information in the station. Here it is the thing the traveler should follow, as in 案内表示に沿って.
沿って 沿って means “along” or “following” in 案内表示に沿って. It tells the listener to move in line with the direction signs, and it is followed by the requested movement 進んでください.
メインホール メインホール means “main hall,” the place whose direction is given in this instruction. It is linked to 方向 with の in メインホールの方向.
の の links メインホール and 方向 in メインホールの方向, meaning “the direction of the main hall.” The pattern noun + の + noun links two related nouns.
方向 方向 means “direction” in メインホールの方向へ. It identifies the route toward the main hall, and it is followed by へ to show that direction.
進んで 進んで means “proceed” or “move forward” in 進んでください. It is the て-form of 進む and links the movement instruction to the polite request ください.
ください ください makes 進んでください a polite request meaning “please proceed.” The pattern て-form + ください is useful when politely telling someone to do something.
改札口 改札口 means “ticket gate,” the gate the traveler passes through before taking the escalator. It appears as the route or place passed through in 改札口を通った.
を を marks 改札口 as the route or place passed through in 改札口を通った. With 通る, it can mark something that a person passes through.
通った 通った means “passed through” in 改札口を通った後. It is the past form of 通る and describes the completed action that happens before the next step.
後 後 means “after” in 通った後, referring to the time after passing through the ticket gate. The pattern verb in the past form + 後 is used to describe what happens afterward.
エスカレーター エスカレーター means “escalator,” the transportation method the traveler is considering. It appears in エスカレーターに乗ればいいですか when asking whether to take it.
乗れば 乗れば means “if I take” or “should I take” in 乗ればいいですか. It is the conditional form of 乗る, and together with いいですか it asks whether taking the escalator is the right action.
で で shows the means used for movement in エスカレーターで上に行って. Here it means going upward by using the escalator.
上 上 means “up” or “upstairs” in 上に行って. With に, it marks the upward destination of the movement.
行って 行って means “go” in 上に行って、それから右に曲がってください. It is the て-form of 行く and links going upstairs with the following instruction.
それから それから means “then” or “after that” and marks the next step in the directions. It is useful when giving instructions in sequence, as in 行って、それから右に曲がってください.
右 右 means “right” in 右に曲がってください. It identifies the direction of the turn and is followed by に before 曲がって.
曲がって 曲がって means “turn” in 右に曲がってください. It is the て-form of 曲がる used with ください to give the polite instruction “please turn right.”
ここ ここ means “here” in ここから, referring to the speaker’s current location in the station. It can be followed by から to identify the starting point of a distance or route.
から から means “from” in ここから, marking the point from which the distance to the entrance is considered. A place can come before から to show the starting point.
遠い 遠い means “far” in ここから遠いですか, where the speaker asks whether the main entrance is far from the current location. The pattern location + から + 遠い is useful for asking about distance.
そこ そこ means “there,” referring to the place just mentioned or reached in the directions. In そこから, it identifies that place as the starting point for the short walk.
歩いて 歩いて means “walking” or “on foot” in 歩いてすぐです. It contributes the way of reaching the destination and combines with すぐ to say that it is quickly reachable on foot.
すぐ すぐ means “very soon” or, in this context, “just a short distance away” in 歩いてすぐです. This expression reassures someone asking for directions that the destination can be reached on foot without much delay.
この この means “this” and directly describes 駅 in この駅. The pattern この + noun is used to identify a nearby or currently discussed thing.
駅 駅 means “station” in この駅, referring to the station where the conversation takes place. It can be combined with この to identify the current station.
少し 少し means “a little” in 少し分かりにくいです. It softens the description by saying that the station is somewhat difficult to understand or navigate.
分かりにくい 分かりにくい means “difficult to understand” or “confusing” here, describing the station’s layout or directions. The ～にくい pattern expresses difficulty doing the verb, and this form is useful for saying that something is hard to understand.
階 階 means “floor” or “level” in 上の階, referring to the upper level of the station. It is used after a level description such as 上の to identify a floor.
ほう ほう marks one side of a comparison in 上の階のほうが案内表示に従いやすいです. Here it presents the upper floor as the easier option compared with another level.
が が marks 上の階のほう as the side judged easier in the comparison. The pattern Xのほうが + adjective is used to say that one option has a quality more strongly than another.
従いやすい 従いやすい means “easy to follow” in 案内表示に従いやすいです, describing the signs as easy to follow upstairs. The ～やすい pattern expresses that an action is easy to do, and it can follow the verb stem of 従う.

Grammar Points

名詞＋に沿って

案内表示に沿って進んで。

ahn-NAI hyoh-JEE nee SOHT-teh soo-SOON-deh

Proceed along the directional signs.

に沿って means “along” or “following” and shows the route or guideline someone follows.

動詞の仮定形＋ば

エスカレーターに乗れば、上に行く。

eh-soo-kah-RAY-tah nee NOH-reh-bah, OO-eh nee EE-koo

If you get on the escalator, you go upstairs.

The 〜ば form expresses a condition: if one action happens, another result follows.

Japanese Vocabulary

すみません intj
soo-mee-mah-SEN excuse me
どちら pron
DOH-chee-rah which way; where
メインホール noun
MAYN hoh-ROO main hall
案内表示 noun
ahn-NAI hyoh-JEE directional sign
沿う verb
SOH-oo to follow; to go along 沿って
黄色い adj
kee-ROH-ee yellow
改札口 noun
KAI-saht-soo-goo-chee ticket gate
行く verb
EE-koo to go 行けば、行って
進む verb
soo-SOO-moo to proceed; to move forward 進んで
正面入口 noun
sho-MEN ee-ree-goo-chee main entrance
通る verb
TOH-roo to pass through 通った
方向 noun
hoh-KOH direction

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

excuse me

Show Answerすみません

main hall

Show Answerメインホール

directional sign

Show Answer案内表示

main entrance

Show Answer正面入口