Public transportation is big in Japan. You’ll probably need to catch a bus at some point. So, you will want to ask questions such as, “is this bus bound for Tokyo?” You’ll probably also need to tell people things such as, “I need to get off the train at Nagano station.” Phrases and questions such these are the key to getting around in Japan. This Newbie Japanese article is here to help you! You will learn how to ask and answer questions about where you are trying to go. Ask, kono basu wa Tokyo-iki desu, (“Is this bus bound for Tokyo?”) and similar questions in Japanese. This Newbie Japanese article is the key to getting where you are headed in Japan!

Vocabulary: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:

chizu – “map”

jikan – “time”

Ogenki desu ka – “How are you?”

koe – “voice”

yuki – “bound for”

noru – “to get on (a train), to take (a train)” (class 1 verb)

oriru – “to get off” (class 2 verb)

Kawanakajima – “a name of a place”

basu – “bus”

Grammar: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

Chizu ga arimasu ka?

The sentence pattern [person] wa [noun] ga arimasu corresponds with “[person] has [noun]” in English.

Sentence Pattern

Affirmative Sentences:

1. Chizu ga arimasu.
2. *Jikan ga arimasu.
3. *Okane ga arimasu.
4. *Yotei ga arimasu.

Definitions:

1. *jikan – “time”
2. *okane – “money”
3. *yotei – “schedule”

Negative Sentences:

1. Chizu ga arimasen.
2. Jikan ga arimasen.
3. Okane ga arimasen.
4. Yotei ga arimasen.

Question Sentences:

1. Chizu ga arimasuka?
2. Jikan ga arimasuka?
3. Okane ga arimasuka?
4. Yotei ga arimasuka?

*We can replace the particle ga with the particle wa in negative or yes/no question sentences.

Nagano-iki or Nagano-yuki

When -iki or -yuki follows the name of a place, -iki or -yuki works as a suffix, and we use either [place]+ iki or [place] + yuki to express the final destination.

Example:

1. Tokyo-iki or Tokyo-yuki
   “bound for Tokyo”
2. Tokyo-yuki no densha.
   “a train bound for Tokyo”
3. Kono basu wa Tokyo-iki desu?
   “Is this bus bound for Tokyo?”
4. Iie, Nagano-eki yuki desu.
   “No, it’s bound for Nagano station.”

Today’s Target Phrases:

Nagano-iki (no basu) ni noru. / “Take the bus bound for Nagano.”

Kawanakajima de (basu o) oriru. / “Get off (the bus) at Kawanakajima.”

Please review the following vocabulary and usage:

1. Nagano-iki – “bound for Nagano”
2. no – “possessive particle”
3. ni – “particle indicating direction or movement”
4. noru – “to ride, to take”
5. Kawanakajima – “a name of a place”
6. de – “particle indicating the place of an action” (“at” or “in”)
7. oriru – “to get off, to get out”

Noru and Oriru

Noru means “to ride.” We mark the transportation one takes with the particle ni. The masu form (polite form) of the verb is orimasu.

Sentence Pattern:

Subject / Wa / Transportation / Ni / To Ride

Watashi / wa / basu / ni / norimasu.

Shizuka-san / wa / densha / ni / norimasu.

Rorii-san / wa / takushii / ni / noru.

Mizuki-san / wa / chika-tetsu / ni / noru.

Oriru means “to get off.” We mark the transportation with the particle o. The masu form of the verb is orimasu.

Sentence Pattern:

Subject / Wa / Transportation / O / To Get Off, Out

Watashi / wa / asu o / orimasu.

Shizuka-san / wa / densha / o / norimasu.

Rorii-san / wa / takushii / o / oriru.

Mizuki-san / wa / chika-tetsu / o / oriru.

Examples:

1. (Watashi wa) basu ni norimasu.
   “I’m going to take the bus.” or “I take the bus.”
2. (Watashi wa) basu o orimasu.
   “I’m going to get off the bus.” or “I get off the bus.”
3. Tokyo-eki de Shinkan-sen ni norimasu.
   “I’m going to take a bullet train at Tokyo station.”or “I get on a bullet train at Tokyo station.”
4. Nagano-eki de Shinkan-sen o orimasu.
   “I’m going to get off the bullet train at Nagano station.” or “I get off the bullet train at Nagano station.”