Have you ever wondered how to say north, south, east, and west in Japanese? In this article, you will increase your Japanese language vocabulary by learning about directions, cardinal points, and relatives. Direction in Japanese is called houkou [方向].
Table of Contents
Directions and Cardinal Points in Japanese
| Portuguese | Japanese | Reading | Rōmaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | 北 | きた / ほく | kita / hoku |
| (N) east | 東 | ひがし | higashi |
| (N) South, proceeding south (P) | 南 | みなみ | minami |
| (N) west | 西 | にし | nishi |
| northeast (Direction) | 北東 | ほくとう | hokutou |
| Northeast (Region) | 東北 | とうほく | Tōhoku |
| northwest (Direction) | 北西 | ほくせい | hokusei |
| northwest (Region) | 西北 | せいほく | seihoku |
| southeast (Direction) | 南東 | なんとう | nantou |
| Southeast (Region) | 東南 | とうなん | southeast |
| southwest (Direction) | 南西 | なんせい | age |
| southwest (Region) | 西南 | せいなん | seinan |
| northeast | 北北東 | ほくほくとう | hokuhokutou |
| east-northeast | 東北東 | とうほくとう | touhokutou |
Maybe you are interested in reading about the regions of Japan as well. Learning about the regions of Japan will help you not to get lost when looking for directions. For example, we have Hokkaido, a region located in the north of Japan.
Examples:
- Kitamuki [北 向き] - Facing north;
- Kitakaze [北風] - North wind;
- Kitanihon [北日本] - Northeast Japan;
You also noticed that to change a direction to a region, just invert the kanji.
We recommend reading: The map of Japan and its 8 Regions
Directions and Relative Locations
Below we will study the directions in Japanese like left and right and some relative locations like corners, inside outside, and others. You might also be interested in reading about the números japoneses.
| Portuguese | Japanese | Reading | Rōmaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| (A) to the left | 左 | ひだり | left |
| (On the right | 右 | みぎ | right |
| above | 上 | うえ | ue |
| down | 下 | した | "under" |
| top left | 左上 | ひだりうえ | hidariue |
| lower left | 左下 | ひだりした | hidarishita |
| top right corner | 右上 | みぎうえ | migiue |
| lower right | 右下 | みぎした | migishita |
| foward | 前 | まえ | mae |
| back | 後ろ | うしろ | ushiru |
| In a straight line | 真っ直ぐ | まっすぐ | straight |
| vertical | 縦 | た て | tate |
| horizontal / Side / Side | 横 | よ こ | yoko |
| diagonal | 斜め | な な め | naname |
| 4 Directions | 東西南北 | とうざいなんぼく | touzainanboku |
| Near | 近く | ちかく | near |
| Far away | 遠い | とおい | far |
| Distant | 離れて | はなれて | hanarete |
| next | 隣 | となり | Tonari |
| Next | そばに | soba ni | |
| before, in front | 前 | まえ | mae |
| Later | あと | Ato | |
| Inside, in the middle | 中 | なか | naka |
| Among the | 間に | あいだに | aidani |
| Outside | 外 | そと | soto |
| 上がり | あがり | agari | |
| Descent | 下り | くだり | kudari |
| Around | まわり | mawari |
[真っ直ぐ] is normally written as [straight];
Examples:
- Right Hand [右手[ - Right hand;
- Nishikaigan [西海岸] - West Coast;
- Ienosoto [家の外] - Outside the house;
Example Sentences in Japanese
Below are some example sentences for you to study the cardinal points and directions in Japanese:
It's straight.
真っ直ぐです.
Massugu desu.
This city is like this.
その道に沿って行って下さい.
Sono michi ni sotte itte kudasai.
Go right to reach the city.
町を沿って真っ直ぐ行って下さい.
Machi o sotte massugu itte kudasai.
Please go to the city.
町に行って下さい.
Machi ni itte kudasai.
Turn left.
左に曲がって下さい.
Hidari ni Magatte kudasai.
Turn right.
右に曲がって下さい.
Migi ni Magatte kudasai.
It's in front of the bank.
銀行の向かいで す.
Ginkou no mukai desu.
It's next to the bank.
銀行の隣です.
Ginkou no tonari desu.
It is located on the opposite side.
反対側です.
Hantai-gawa desu.
Videos about directions in Japanese
To finish the article, let's leave some videos that talk more about the cardinal points and direções in Japanese.
I hope this article helped you understand directions in Japanese. If you liked it, don't forget to share and leave your comments.
