Lesson L3N5Core N5 Vocabulary and Communication⏱ 15 min

House, Town, and Places Vocabulary

This lesson introduces common nouns for household rooms (e.g., bedroom, kitchen), building types (e.g., house, apartment), and town locations (e.g., station, hospital). Practice using these words in simple sentences.

🎯 Goal: Learn core vocabulary for rooms, buildings, and places around town.

Lesson Content

Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will know 15+ essential Japanese words for rooms in a house, buildings, and places around town. You will be able to name common locations and understand simple directions.

Concept

In Japanese, place words are often followed by the particle に (ni) to mean "to" or "at" a location. For example, ie ni iku (いえにいく) means "go to the house." Many place names are made of two kanji characters that describe the place's function.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Rooms in a House (いえのへや / ie no heya)

English	Japanese	Romaji
house	いえ	ie
room	へや	heya
living room	リビング	ribingu
kitchen	キッチン	kicchin
bedroom	しんしつ / ベッドルーム	shinshitsu / beddorūmu
bathroom	よくしつ	yokushitsu
toilet	トイレ	toire
dining room	しょくどう	shokudō

2. Buildings and Places Around Town (まちのたてもの / machi no tatemono)

English	Japanese	Romaji
school	がっこう	gakkō
hospital	びょういん	byōin
post office	ゆうびんきょく	yūbinkyoku
police station	こうばん	kōban
supermarket	スーパー	sūpā
convenience store	コンビニ	konbini
station	えき	eki
park	こうえん	kōen
bank	ぎんこう	ginkō
library	としょかん	toshokan

3. Key Grammar: Place + に + いく / いる

いく (iku) = to go
いる (iru) = to be (for people/animals)

Pattern: [Place] に [verb]

Examples:

がっこうにいく。 (gakkō ni iku.) = I go to school.
いえにいる。 (ie ni iru.) = I am at home.

Mini Examples

わたしはキッチンにいます。 (Watashi wa kicchin ni imasu.) = I am in the kitchen.
ともだちはこうえんにいきます。 (Tomodachi wa kōen ni ikimasu.) = My friend goes to the park.
トイレはどこですか？ (Toire wa doko desu ka?) = Where is the toilet?
ぎんこうのとなりにゆうびんきょくがあります。 (Ginkō no tonari ni yūbinkyoku ga arimasu.) = The post office is next to the bank.

Common Mistake

❌ Using で (de) instead of に (ni) for destination.

Gakkō de iku means "go by means of school" (wrong).
Correct: Gakkō ni iku = "go to school."

✅ Remember:

に (ni) = direction / destination
で (de) = location of action / means

Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the lesson.

わたしは _______ にいます。 (I am in the living room.)
→ Answer: リビング (ribingu)
あした、_______ にいきます。 (Tomorrow, I go to the hospital.)
→ Answer: びょういん (byōin)
コンビニは _______ のとなりです。 (The convenience store is next to the station.)
→ Answer: えき (eki)
こうえんに _______ ますか？ (Do you go to the park?)
→ Answer: いき (iki)

Summary and Next Step

You now know the key vocabulary for rooms and town places, plus how to use に to express destination or location. Practice by describing your own house and neighborhood using these words.

Next step: Learn how to ask "Where is...?" with どこ (doko) and how to give simple directions like "turn left" and "go straight."