Prepositions
This page covers the basic prepositions (location words) in Japanese. Preposition are nouns; They connect to nouns using の. Prepositions typically take に (location marker) after them; but see the bottom for a comparison.
Common Prepositions
| Japanese | かんじ | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| うえ | 上 | Above, On | |
| した | 下 | Below, Under | |
| なか | 中 | Inside | |
| そと | 外 | Outside | |
| となり | 隣 | Beside | |
| そば | 傍・側 | Next to | |
| みぎ | 右 | Right | |
| ひだり | 左 | Left | |
| ちかく | 近く | Near | |
| まえ | 前 | Before (order), In front of | Time or Place |
| あと | 後 | Behind (order) After | Time or Place |
| さき | 先 | "The end of" Just a second ago" | At the end of the road |
| うしろ | 後ろ | Behind (other side) | |
| うら | 裏 | Opposite side Underside |
Examples
- 学校の前にたっている – Standing in front of the school.
- 机の上にえんぴつを置く – Place a pencil on a desk
- かばんの中にほんをいれる – Put book in bag.
- いすの下にかばんをおく – Put bag under the chair
With Other Particles
Typically, prepositions take に. This is because they typically refer to a location. However they are still nouns and can treated as such.
- つくえの上をかたづける – Clean up the top of the desk.
- どうくつの中でくらす – Live inside a cave.
- 本の中にすむ – Live inside a book.
- 机の中がきれい – The inside of the desk is pretty.
- 学校の前の店は人気だ – The store in front of the school is popular.