Asking for directions to metro: Asking how far it is
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Key Phrases
すみません。〜はどこですか。
sumi mase n wa doko desu ka
Excuse me. Where is ~?
遠いですか。／遠くないです。
tooi desu ka tooku nai desu
Is it far? / It’s not far.
どのぐらいかかりますか。／（歩いて）五分ぐらいです。
dono gurai kakari masu ka go pun gurai desu
About how long does it take? / It takes about ~.
Skills You'll Learn
Ask for directions politely and identify a place (e.g., subway station).
ていねいに道をたずねて、場所（地下鉄の駅など）を言えるようになる。
teinei ni michi o tazune te basho o ieru you ni naru
Understand and give simple route instructions (go straight, cross at the traffic light).
かんたんな道案内（まっすぐ行ってください、信号を渡ってください）を理解して使えるようになる。
kantan na michi annai o rikai shi te tsukaeru you ni naru
Ask about and understand distance/time estimates (near/far, about five minutes on foot).
距離・時間（近い／遠い、歩いて五分ぐらい）をたずねて理解できるようになる。
kyori jikan o tazune te rikai dekiru you ni naru
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you’re walking in a Japanese city and you politely stop a local to ask where the nearest subway station is, how far it is, and how long it takes to walk there.
すみません、地下鉄の駅はどこですか。
sumi mase n chika tetsu no eki wa doko desu ka
Excuse me, where is the subway station?
ああ、この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
aa kono michi o massugu itsu te kudasai
Oh, please go straight down this road.
ここから遠いですか。
koko kara tooi desu ka
Is it far from here?
いいえ、遠くないですよ。
iie tooku nai desu yo
No, it’s not far.
どのぐらいかかりますか。
dono gurai kakari masu ka
About how long does it take?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
すみません。
sumi mase n
Excuse me.
🇯🇵 [すみません。] is the normal way to get a stranger's attention before asking for directions. It's more natural than jumping straight into your question.
See breakdown →どこ
doko
Where
ですか
desu ka
(question ending) / is it?
💬 [か] at the end makes it a question, and [です] keeps it polite. You can reuse this pattern with many words: [便利ですか。] = "Is it convenient?"
See breakdown →〜はどこですか。
wa doko desu ka
Where is ~?
💬 [は] is pronounced (wa), not (ha). In this pattern, put the place or thing before [は]: [トイレはどこですか。] = "Where is the toilet?"
See breakdown →地下鉄
chika tetsu
Subway
駅
eki
Station
地下鉄の駅
chika tetsu no eki
Subway station
💬 Put [の] between two nouns and the first one describes the second. So [地下鉄の駅] is literally "the station of the subway," and you can do the same in [JRの駅].
See breakdown →まっすぐ
massugu
Straight
行ってください
itsu te kudasai
Please go
💬 [〜てください] is a common way to say "please do ...". You can swap in other verbs: [見てください] = "Please look," [待ってください] = "Please wait."
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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