Visiting the convenience store: Asking where something is

🇯🇵 [すみません] is the normal way to get a clerk's attention in Japan before asking a question. It's more natural than jumping straight into your request.

💬 You can put almost any item before [どこですか] to ask where it is: [おにぎりはどこですか] or [のみものはどこですか]. [ですか] makes it a polite question.

💬 With [A は どこですか], [は] is the topic marker and is said (wa), not (ha). This pattern is very reusable: [パンはどこですか] or [おちゃはどこですか].

💬 Japanese has a three-way set here: [ここ] = here, [そこ] = there near you, [あそこ] = over there away from both of us. That's handy in stores when someone points across the room.

💬 [あそこです] often drops the subject in Japanese, so it just means something like 'It's over there.' Once the item is clear from context, you usually don't repeat it.

💬 [となり] means right next to, not just generally nearby. For example, [トイレのとなり] means 'next to the toilet.'

💬 Put a place before [のとなりです] to say something is next to it: [れいぞうこのとなりです], [レジのとなりです]. [の] links the reference place to [となり].