N5 · Unit 1
Lesson 4What exists, who is present, and where
Distinguish existence for people and things and use position words for precise location.
What you learn
Distinguish existence for people and things and use position words for precise location.
Learning points
- Existence of people and things
- What exists in a place
- Position and listing
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
場所 に 物 が あります / 人・動物 が いますBeginner explanation
Use あります for things or plants and います for people or animals. 場所に marks the location. Position words such as above, below, inside, and beside normally follow の.
Understand these sentences first
- つくえの うえに ほんが あります。tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu
There is a book on the desk.
- へやに ねこが います。heya ni neko ga imasu
There is a cat in the room.
- こうえんに こどもが います。koen ni kodomo ga imasu
There are children in the park.
- いすの したに かばんが あります。isu no shita ni kaban ga arimasu
There is a bag under the chair.
Core vocabulary
- 部屋へやroom
- 机つくえdesk
- 椅子いすchair
- 猫ねこcat
- 上うえabove
- 下したbelow
- 中なかinside
- 隣となりnext to
Grammar, one point at a time
Use あります for things and います for people or animals
place に thing が あります／person が いますUse あります for objects, plants, places, events, and other non-volitional entities. Use います for people and animals. Mark the location with に and the existing entity with が.
Examples
- 部屋に 机が あります。There is a desk in the room.
- 公園に 子供が います。There are children in the park.
Make the person or thing the topic, then give its location
thing／person は place に あります／いますWhen the entity is known and you want its location, mark it with は and follow the place with にあります or にいます. Lesson 3's N は どこですか can serve the same purpose.
Examples
- 図書館は どこに ありますか。Where is the library?
- ミナさんは 事務所に います。Mina is in the office.
と links nouns in a complete list
N と Nと means and and normally presents the listed nouns as the complete set in the current context. Later, や will mark a representative, incomplete list.
Examples
- 時計と 眼鏡a clock and glasses
- 部屋に 机と いすが あります。There is a desk and a chair in the room.
Position words follow N の
N の 上／下／前／後ろ／隣／中／外Japanese requires の in expressions such as 机の上 and 箱の中. The position word describes a relation to a reference object.
Examples
- 机の 上に 猫が います。There is a cat on the desk.
- 駅の 隣に 銀行が あります。There is a bank next to the station.
Final ね invites confirmation
sentence + ねUse ね when the speaker expects shared knowledge and invites agreement or confirmation. It often has a light rise but does not simply replace question particle か.
Examples
- 地下鉄の 駅は ここですね。The subway station is here, right?
Question word + も + negative means none
だれも いません／何も ありませんだれも and 何も do not simply mean everyone or everything in an affirmative sentence. With a negative verb, they mean nobody or nothing.
Examples
- 教室に だれも いません。There is nobody in the classroom.
- 冷蔵庫に 何も ありません。There is nothing in the refrigerator.
Expressions and situations
Japanese 上 means vertically above
Chinese wall-top expressions can include the wall surface, but 壁の上 normally means above the wall. A switch on the wall is 壁に スイッチが あります.
- 壁に スイッチが あります。There is a switch on the wall.
ええと shows that you are thinking
Use ええと when you need a moment to think about an answer. It buys time and tells the listener that the response is still coming.
- ええと、ここです。Let me see... it is here.
ご家族, ご兄弟, and ご両親 refer politely to another person's family
Use 家族, 兄弟, and 両親 for your own family, and commonly add ご when asking about another person's family. ご cannot be added freely to every noun; learn established forms.
兄弟 can include brothers and sisters
Japanese 兄弟 can refer collectively to siblings, not only male brothers. Use 兄, 姉, 弟, or 妹 when the specific relationship matters.
JR, private railways, and subways are different rail categories
JR is the common label for Japan Railways group services. 私鉄 refers to other private railways, and 地下鉄 to urban subways. When transferring, check the line, operator, and gate direction.
一人暮らし means living alone
一人暮らしです states that someone currently lives alone. It does not automatically reveal marriage, family relationships, or reasons. Treat living arrangements as personal information.
What you should be able to do
- Choose あります or います by entity type.
- Convert between what exists somewhere and where an entity is.
- List two entities with と and describe their relative positions.
- Use ね to confirm station, bank, and office locations on a map.
- Express nobody or nothing with だれも or 何も plus a negative.
- Complete an original dialogue about an office location, nearby stations, and family location.
Culture and real use
Transit IC cards work by touching the automatic gate reader
When using Suica or another transit IC card, touch one card firmly to the reader marked with the transit IC symbol, listen for the sound, and check the display. If the balance is insufficient or reading fails, follow the screen message. Do not insert an IC card into the paper-ticket slot.
- ICカードは 使えますか。Can I use an IC card?
- 残高が 足りません。The balance is insufficient.