Asking for directions to metro: Finding the nearest station
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Key Phrases
地下鉄の駅はどこですか。
chika tetsu no eki wa doko desu ka
Where is the subway station?
この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
kono michi o massugu itsu te kudasai
Please go straight on this road.
歩いて五分くらいですよ。
arui te go pun kurai desu yo
It’s about a five-minute walk.
Skills You'll Learn
Ask for directions politely (Excuse me / Where is…?).
丁寧に道をたずねる（すみません／〜はどこですか）。
teinei ni michi o tazuneru
Understand and confirm route instructions (go straight, cross the traffic light, turn left).
道案内の表現を理解して確認する（まっすぐ、信号を渡る、左に曲がる、〜ですね）。
michi annai no hyougen o rikai shi te kakunin suru
Ask and understand approximate time needed (How long does it take? / about X minutes on foot).
所要時間のたずね方・答え方（どのくらいかかりますか／歩いて〜分くらい）。
shoyou jikan no tazune kata kotae kata
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you’re walking in a city in Japan and you stop someone to ask for directions to the subway station. They tell you to go straight, how long it takes on foot, and to cross the traffic light and turn left.
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?
地下鉄の駅ですか。この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
chika tetsu no eki desu ka kono michi o massugu itsu te kudasai
The subway station? Go straight down this road.
まっすぐですね。どのくらいかかりますか。
massugu desu ne dono kurai kakari masu ka
Straight ahead, right? How long does it take?
歩いて5分くらいですよ。
arui te 5 pun kurai desu yo
It's about a five-minute walk.
5分ですか。近いですね。
5 pun desu ka chikai desu ne
Five minutes? That's close.
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 directions. It's more natural than jumping straight into your question.
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: [地下鉄の駅] is literally "subway's station," meaning "subway station." You can reuse this with other places too, like [学校の近く] for "near the school."
See breakdown →どこ
doko
Where
ですか
desu ka
(polite question ending)
💬 [ですか] is a very common polite question ending. You can add it after many short statements to turn them into questions, like [トイレですか] for "Is it the toilet?"
See breakdown →どこですか。
doko desu ka
Where is it?
地下鉄の駅はどこですか。
chika tetsu no eki wa doko desu ka
Where is the subway station?
💬 [は] here is written [は] but said (wa): [地下鉄の駅はどこですか]. This pattern is handy for asking where things are: [コンビニはどこですか] means "Where is the convenience store?".
See breakdown →まっすぐ
massugu
Straight (ahead)
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