[Place] NI [Subject] GA | arimasu {inanimate subject}
indefinite | imasu {animate subject}
[Topic] WA [Place] NI | arimasu/arimasen
definite | imasu/imasen
Daigaku ni shokudoo ga arimasu.
Kurasu ni gakusee ga oozee imasu.
Ginkoo wa hon-ya no soba ni arimasu.
Tomodachi wa koko ni imasen.
MAE 'front'
USHIRO 'back, behind'
YOKO 'side'
TONARI 'next to, next door'
CHIKAKU 'nearby, vicinity'
SOBA 'nearby'
-HEN 'vicinity'
-ATARI 'vicinity'
TEMAE 'on this side'
MUKOO 'on the other side, beyond'
SAKI 'ahead'
-GAWA 'side'
NAKA 'inside'
SOTO 'outside'
UE 'top, above'
SHITA 'below, under'
MIGI 'right'
HIDARI 'left'
TSUKIATARI 'end of the alley'
[Place] NO [Dimension] NI/WA
Ginkoo no tonari ni yuubinkyoku ga arimasu.
Uchi no tonari wa hana-ya desu.
Kono chikaku ni kooen ga arimasu ka?
Kissaten wa kono biru no shita ni arimasu.
NI is required by existential verbs: arimasu/imasu/gozaimasu/orimasu
Eki no mae ni ginkoo ga arimasu.
Heya no naka ni neko ga imasu.
Honorific: Sp promoting H/H's peer
Sensee wa irasshaimasu ka?
Humble: Sp demoting self/peer
Kinoo watashi wa uchi ni orimashita.
Neutral: Sp beautifying utterance
Ii kuruma ga gozaimasu.
Satoo-san wa doko | ni imasu ka?
| desu ka?
Denwa wa eki no mae | ni arimasu.
| desu
Dare ga kimashita ka? Suzuki-san | ga kimashita.
| desu. (limited use)
Kono eega wa | omoshiroi |deshoo.\ 'probably'
| |deshoo./ 'Don't you think ....?'
| |deshoo ka.\ 'Do you think ....?'
| |deshoo ka (nee).\ 'I wonder .....'
|
| doo deshoo ka.\ 'What do you think .....?'
basic polite familiar/informal koko kochira kotchi soko sochira sotchi asoko achira atchi doko dochira dotchi KO/SO/A/DO-CHIRA: 1. choice : one out of two Dochira ga ii deshoo ka. 2. direction : way Kochira e doozo. 3. location : polite Zasshi wa achira ni gozaimasu. 4. person : polite Kochira ga watashi no sensee desu.
Discourse Particles WA/MO/DAKE/SHIKA replace GA/O/(NI) but follow others.
Hikooki wa Nihon kara mo kimasu.
Furansu e shika ikimasen.
Nominal suffix -YA 'shop, dealer, delivery man'
-san is added to refer to people.
hon-ya 'bookstore, bookseller'
shinbun-ya 'newspaper distributer, delivery person'
yuubin-ya 'letter carrier'
pan-ya 'bakery, baker'
saka-ya 'liquor shop, wine dealer '
yao-ya 'vegetable store, greengrocer'
sakana-ya 'fish-shop, fish dealer'
niku-ya 'butcher shop, butcher'
hana-ya 'flower shop, florist'
kusuri-ya 'drugstore, pharmacist'
toko-ya 'barber shop, barber'
© Norio Ota 2000