Direction Words in Japanese for Left, Right, and Straight

Japanese Direction Words Chart for Left, Right, Straight, Near, and Far

For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.

Getting directions in Japanese can feel very simple, until someone says 左 and your brain decides to take a tiny vacation. Happens to the best of us. The good news is that the core direction words are short, useful, and easy to practice in real life.

This guide covers the most common direction words you need for walking around town, following signs, asking for help, and not accidentally ending up at the wrong convenience store. You will learn the words for left, right, straight, near, and far, plus a bunch of useful phrases and example sentences you can actually use.

For a quick related check, this Japanese placement test and JLPT practice can help you see where your Japanese sits right now.

Table of Contents

Core Direction Words

Kanji	Rōmaji	English Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
左	hidari	left	左へ行ってください。	Hidari e itte kudasai.	Please go to the left.
右	migi	right	右に曲がってください。	Migi ni magatte kudasai.	Please turn right.
真っ直ぐ	massugu	straight	真っ直ぐ行ってください。	Massugu itte kudasai.	Please go straight.
近い	chikai	near, close	駅は近いです。	Eki wa chikai desu.	The station is near.
遠い	tōi	far	学校は遠いです。	Gakkō wa tōi desu.	The school is far.

These five words do a lot of heavy lifting. They show up on signs, in conversations, in maps, and in the classic “I am definitely lost, but trying to sound calm” situation.

Useful Direction Phrases

Kanji	Rōmaji	English Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
左へ行ってください	Hidari e itte kudasai	Please go left	信号のあと、左へ行ってください。	Shingō no ato, hidari e itte kudasai.	After the traffic light, please go left.
右に曲がってください	Migi ni magatte kudasai	Please turn right	次の角で右に曲がってください。	Tsugi no kado de migi ni magatte kudasai.	Please turn right at the next corner.
真っ直ぐ行ってください	Massugu itte kudasai	Please go straight	この道を真っ直ぐ行ってください。	Kono michi o massugu itte kudasai.	Please go straight on this road.
ここです	Koko desu	It is here	目的地はここです。	Mokutekichi wa koko desu.	The destination is here.
あそこです	Asoko desu	It is over there	コンビニはあそこです。	Konbini wa asoko desu.	The convenience store is over there.

Kanji	Rōmaji	English Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
近く	chikaku	nearby	駅の近くにあります。	Eki no chikaku ni arimasu.	It is near the station.
遠く	tōku	far away	店はここから遠くです。	Mise wa koko kara tōku desu.	The store is far from here.
前	mae	front, ahead	前に進んでください。	Mae ni susunde kudasai.	Please move forward.
後ろ	ushiro	behind, back	私の後ろにいます。	Watashi no ushiro ni imasu.	He is behind me.
横	yoko	beside, side	駅の横にカフェがあります。	Eki no yoko ni kafe ga arimasu.	There is a café beside the station.

Everyday Direction Sentences

Kanji	Rōmaji	English Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
駅はどこですか。	Eki wa doko desu ka.	Where is the station?	すみません、駅はどこですか。	Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka.	Excuse me, where is the station?
あの角を右に曲がってください。	Ano kado o migi ni magatte kudasai.	Please turn right at that corner.	あの角を右に曲がってください。	Ano kado o migi ni magatte kudasai.	Please turn right at that corner.
二つ目の信号です。	Futatsu-me no shingō desu.	It is at the second traffic light.	銀行は二つ目の信号です。	Ginkō wa futatsu-me no shingō desu.	The bank is at the second traffic light.
まっすぐ行くとあります。	Massugu iku to arimasu.	If you go straight, you will find it.	この道をまっすぐ行くとあります。	Kono michi o massugu iku to arimasu.	If you go straight on this road, you will find it.
近くにありますか。	Chikaku ni arimasu ka.	Is it nearby?	駅の近くにありますか。	Eki no chikaku ni arimasu ka.	Is it near the station?

How These Words Work

The easiest way to use direction words in Japanese is to pair them with a particle or a movement verb.

左へ and 右へ often mean “to the left” and “to the right,” especially when someone is telling you where to go.

左に and 右に are also very common. They are used when the sentence talks about movement, position, or turning. Japanese loves flexibility here. Very generous of it, honestly.

Pattern	Meaning	Example	Rōmaji	Translation
左へ	to the left	左へ行ってください。	Hidari e itte kudasai.	Please go to the left.
右に	to the right	右に曲がってください。	Migi ni magatte kudasai.	Please turn right.
真っ直ぐ	straight ahead	真っ直ぐ進んでください。	Massugu susunde kudasai.	Please move straight ahead.
近くに	nearby	近くにコンビニがあります。	Chikaku ni konbini ga arimasu.	There is a convenience store nearby.
遠くに	far away	遠くに山が見えます。	Tōku ni yama ga miemasu.	You can see mountains far away.

Common Sign Words You Will See

Japanese signs often use simple words with arrows, numbers, and landmarks. The language is usually not trying to be clever. It just wants you to get there without wandering around like a confused tourist in a drama scene.

Kanji	Rōmaji	Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
入口	iriguchi	entrance	入口はあちらです。	Iriguchi wa achira desu.	The entrance is over there.
出口	deguchi	exit	出口はこちらです。	Deguchi wa kochira desu.	The exit is this way.
案内	annai	guide, guidance	案内を見てください。	Annai o mite kudasai.	Please look at the guide.
交差点	kōsaten	intersection	交差点で左に曲がります。	Kōsaten de hidari ni magarimasu.	Turn left at the intersection.
信号	shingō	traffic light	信号の前で止まってください。	Shingō no mae de tomatte kudasai.	Please stop before the traffic light.

Near And Far Expressions

近い means close or near. 遠い means far. They are useful both for places and for abstract ideas like time or relationships. Japanese likes giving everyday words more jobs than expected.

Kanji	Rōmaji	Meaning	Example	Example Rōmaji	Translation
家は近いです。	Ie wa chikai desu.	The house is near.	家は近いです。	Ie wa chikai desu.	The house is near.
学校は遠いです。	Gakkō wa tōi desu.	The school is far.	学校は遠いです。	Gakkō wa tōi desu.	The school is far.
近くにあります。	Chikaku ni arimasu.	It is nearby.	駅の近くにあります。	Eki no chikaku ni arimasu.	It is near the station.
遠くにあります。	Tōku ni arimasu.	It is far away.	ここから遠くにあります。	Koko kara tōku ni arimasu.	It is far from here.
すぐ近く	sugu chikaku	very near, right nearby	コンビニはすぐ近くです。	Konbini wa sugu chikaku desu.	The convenience store is very close.

Quick Practice

Say “Please go straight.” → 真っ直ぐ行ってください。 / Massugu itte kudasai.
Say “Turn left at the corner.” → 角で左に曲がってください。 / Kado de hidari ni magatte kudasai.
Say “The station is near.” → 駅は近いです。 / Eki wa chikai desu.
Say “The museum is far.” → 博物館は遠いです。 / Hakubutsukan wa tōi desu.
Say “The entrance is over there.” → 入口はあちらです。 / Iriguchi wa achira desu.
Say “Go right at the next light.” → 次の信号で右に曲がってください。 / Tsugi no shingō de migi ni magatte kudasai.

Common Mistakes And Fixes

Common Mistake	Better Version	Why It Helps
左行ってください	左へ行ってください	The particle へ makes the direction sound natural.
右曲がってください	右に曲がってください	に is the normal choice with “turn.”
真っ直ぐください	真っ直ぐ行ってください	You need a movement verb like 行く or 進む.
近いですか when asking location	近くにありますか	Use あります for location of things.
遠いですか when asking “where”	どこですか or どこにありますか	遠い means distance, not location.

左 and 右 are about direction. 近い and 遠い are about distance. Keep those two jobs separate, and life gets much easier.

Mini Comparison: Left, Right, Straight

Word	Rōmaji	Core Meaning	Typical Use	Example
左	hidari	left	direction, turning	左に曲がる / hidari ni magaru / turn left
右	migi	right	direction, turning	右に曲がる / migi ni magaru / turn right
真っ直ぐ	massugu	straight	movement, direction ahead	真っ直ぐ行く / massugu iku / go straight

Quick Reference Summary

左 = left
右 = right
真っ直ぐ = straight
近い = near, close
遠い = far
左へ行ってください = Please go left
右に曲がってください = Please turn right
真っ直ぐ行ってください = Please go straight
駅は近いです = The station is near
学校は遠いです = The school is far

Direction words are tiny, but they are everywhere. Once you learn 左, 右, 真っ直ぐ, 近い, and 遠い, you can ask for help, follow signs, and survive map apps with a lot more confidence. Not glamorous, sure, but extremely useful. That is the real magic of everyday Japanese.

If you want to keep going, the best next step is to practice these words with real places: station, shop, school, restroom, and hotel. That is where the vocabulary starts doing actual work instead of just sitting there looking impressive.