Lesson 3

Directions

Grammar
Pattern 1 · ここ／そこ／あそこ は [place] です
place kosoadotopic はcopula です
Here/there/over-there is [place]. Used when naming a place by pointing at it.
Examples

here (near me) place pronoun · KO topic marker particle Shin-Osaka noun copula particle 。

Is this Shin-Osaka?

over there (far from both) place pronoun · A particle office noun copula 。

Over there is the office.
Pattern 2 · [N] は ここ／そこ／あそこ です (inverted)
thing-first topicplace predicate
[N] is here/there/over-there. Inverted form: the topic is the thing being located, and the kosoado word tells where.
Examples

toilet, restroom noun topic marker particle over there noun copula 。

The restroom is over there.

elevator noun particle there (near you) noun copula 。

The elevator is there.
Pattern 3 · [N] は どこ／どちら です か
question word どこpolite どちらquestion か
Where is [N]? どこ for neutral situations; どちら when politeness is called for (shopping, asking a stranger, asking someone’s country).
Examples

toilet noun particle where (neutral) noun copula particle 。

Where is the toilet?

office noun particle where (polite) noun copula particle 。

Which way to the office? (polite)

your country honorific お + くに particle which (polite) noun copula particle 。

Which country are you from? (polite, fixed phrasing)
Pattern 4 · [N1] は どこ の [N2] です か
どこ の (origin)connector の
What country/place is [N1] from? Literally "[N1] is the [N2] of where?" Asks origin of an item or affiliation. Same modifier-head の structure as L02.
Examples

that (near you) noun particle where noun connector · "of where" particle shoes noun copula particle 。

Where are those shoes from?

Italy noun origin · "of Italy" particle shoes noun copula 。

— They’re from Italy.
Pattern 5 · [N] は いくら です か (price)
いくら (how much)counter ～えん
How much is [N]? The price-asking pattern. Answer with [number]えん です.
Examples

this (+ noun) noun watch, clock noun particle how much noun copula particle 。

How much is this watch?

18,600 yen number + えん counter copula 。

— 18,600 yen.

Notes

The kosoado system — location row completes it
L02 covered pronouns (これ/それ/あれ) and adjectives (この/その/あの). L03 adds the LOCATION row: ここ (here, KO) / そこ (there, near listener, SO) / あそこ (over there, A) / どこ (where, DO). Same logic — KO = near me, SO = near you, A = far from both, DO = the question. By the end of L03 you have three full rows of the kosoado grid. The fourth row (polite direction) is the next note.
こちら／そちら／あちら／どちら — the polite layer
These are NOT just "direction" words — they are the POLITE versions of ここ/そこ/あそこ/どこ. Use them in customer service or shop interactions (clerks always use them with customers), when asking about someone’s country or company politely, or when pointing the way for a guest. Example: お くに は どちら です か — literally "your country is which-way?" but the meaning is "what country are you from?" — fixed polite phrasing. Compare: どこ から きました か (neutral, L01 grammar) vs お くに は どちら です か (polite, L03 grammar).
どこ の N — "the N from where"
This is L02’s [modifier] の [head] structure with どこ as the modifier. これ は どこ の カメラ です か → "What country’s camera is this?". Answer: これ は にほん の カメラ です → "It’s a Japanese camera." You can also drop the second noun: これ は どこ の です か — same standalone-の rule from L02. Asymmetry to memorize: when asking someone’s country POLITELY use どちら; when asking an ITEM’s origin use どこ.
Counter ～かい (floors) — reading changes
Floors use the ～かい counter, but the reading shifts in several spots: 1かい = いっかい (small つ). 3かい = さんがい (changes to がい — the headline exception). 6かい = ろっかい (small つ). 8かい = はっかい (small つ). 10かい = じゅっかい or じっかい. なんがい ("what floor?") follows the same が-swap as さんがい. The が swap at 3 and "what" mirrors the か→が softening at 何 joins.
Prices — number + えん with sound changes
Yen attaches directly to a number, no spacing. Common sound shifts to memorize: 300えん = さんびゃくえん (ひゃく → びゃく). 600えん = ろっぴゃくえん (small つ + ぴゃく). 800えん = はっぴゃくえん (small つ + ぴゃく). 3,000えん = さんぜんえん (せん → ぜん). 8,000えん = はっせんえん (small つ). 10,000えん = ALWAYS いちまんえん, never just まんえん. 18,600 = いちまん はっせん ろっぴゃくえん. The 3 / 6 / 8 + 10,000 always-いち rules are the L03 number-reading trap pattern.
Question words map (so far)
By L03 you have these question words: なに/なん (what), だれ (who, neutral) / どなた (who, polite), どれ (which one) / どの～ (which ~), どこ (where) / どちら (where, polite), いくら (how much). All of them sit in the SAME SLOT as the noun they’re asking about — Japanese does not move them to the front like English does. English: "Where is the toilet?" → Japanese: トイレ は どこ です か (literally "the toilet is where?").
The two-どこ structure — place-of vs origin-of
A single shopping interaction may use どこ in two different ways: (1) Place-of-section: ワインうりば は どこ です か (Where is the wine section?). (2) Origin-of-item: これ は どこ の ワイン です か (Where is this wine from?). Both use どこ but the syntax is entirely different — the の after どこ flips it from "where IS X" to "X is FROM where."
L03 polite-set-phrase bundle
Five fixed phrases that drive shop interactions. Memorize as a unit. いらっしゃいませ — clerk says when you walk in. みせて ください — customer asks to see an item (te-form, full grammar in L13/14). これ を ください — customer decides to buy (を is the object particle, full coverage L06). どう いたしまして — anyone, reply to ありがとう. ちょっと まって ください — anyone, "wait a moment please."

Practice

Q1 Tap to reveal
Answer Where is the office?
Q2 Tap to reveal
Answer The elevator is over there.
Q3 Tap to reveal
Answer Which country are you from? (polite)
Q4 Tap to reveal
Answer Where is this watch from?
Q5 Tap to reveal
Answer How much is that bag?
Q6 Tap to reveal
Answer I’ll take this one, please.
Q7 Tap to reveal
Answer The restaurant is on the 8th floor.