Giving Directions in Japanese: まっすぐ, 曲がる, 交差点, and More
Giving and asking for directions is one of the most practical Japanese skills. This guide covers essential vocabulary (まっすぐ, 右, 左, 交差点, 信号, 角), the verb forms used for directions (〜てください, 〜たら, 〜と), and natural sentence patterns for navigating in Japan. These patterns are tested at N5 and N4.
Essential direction vocabulary
Before learning sentence patterns, you need core direction words. まっすぐ (straight ahead), 右 (right), 左 (left), 曲がる (to turn), 交差点 (intersection), 信号 (traffic light), 角 (corner), 橋 (bridge), 〜側 (side), 突き当たり (dead end / end of the road). These words combine with particles and verbs to form complete directions.
Asking for directions — すみません, 〜はどこですか
To ask for directions, start with すみません (excuse me) and use 〜はどこですか (where is…?) or 〜への行き方を教えてください (please tell me how to get to…). For more natural phrasing, 〜に行きたいんですが (I want to go to… but…) leaves the request implicit and sounds polite.
Giving multi-step directions with 〜たら and 〜と
When giving multi-step directions, Japanese uses conditional forms to chain steps. 〜たら (after you do X, then…) and 〜と (if/when you do X, then…) connect sequential steps. 〜て、〜て chains actions: まっすぐ行って、右に曲がって、左側にあります (go straight, turn right, it is on the left).
Common mistakes
右を曲がってください
Right右に曲がってください
The direction you turn takes the particle に (indicating the direction of the turn): 右に曲がる, 左に曲がる. The location where you turn takes を: 角を曲がる, 信号を曲がる.
駅はどこにありますか (for asking directions to walk there)
Right駅はどこですか / 駅への行き方を教えてください
どこにありますか asks about physical location. For asking how to GET there, use どこですか (where is it?) or 行き方を教えてください (tell me how to go). Both naturally prompt directions.
まっすぐ行きて (wrong te-form of 行く)
Rightまっすぐ行って
行く is a godan verb with an irregular te-form: 行く → 行って (not 行きて). This is one of the most common conjugation mistakes — 行く follows the same pattern as the つ/る/う group (って) despite ending in く.
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What is the difference between 〜たら and 〜と for directions?
〜と describes a natural/automatic result: まっすぐ行くと見えます (if you go straight, you will see it — automatic result). 〜たら emphasizes sequence: 橋を渡ったら右に曲がってください (after crossing the bridge, turn right). For directions, both work, but 〜たら is more common when giving instructions step by step.
How do I say "on the right side" vs "to the right"?
右側に (みぎがわに) = on the right side (location). 右に曲がる = turn to the right (direction of movement). 右側にあります means "it is on the right-hand side". 右に曲がってください means "please turn right".
What is 突き当たり and how is it used?
突き当たり (つきあたり) means the dead end or the point where a road ends at a T-junction. It is extremely common in Japanese directions: この道の突き当たりを右に曲がってください (at the end of this road, turn right). It literally means "the place where you bump into [the wall/end]".