Position Words in Japanese for In, On, and Under

Japanese Position Words Chart for In, On, Under, Next To, and Between

Want to say where something is in Japanese without sounding like your sentence got lost on the way to work? Good. Position words are one of those small grammar pieces that show up everywhere, from grocery stores to train stations to “Where did I put my phone?” moments.

The useful part is this: Japanese often uses a different word depending on whether something is inside, on top of, under, next to, or between something else. Once you learn the chart, everyday sentences get much easier.

For a broader study path, it helps to keep the Japanese learning hub nearby, and if you want to check your understanding later, there’s also a Japanese placement test JLPT.

Table of Contents

Main Position Words

Kanji	Rōmaji	Meaning	Example	Rōmaji	Translation
中	naka	in, inside	箱の中に本があります。	Hako no naka ni hon ga arimasu.	There is a book inside the box.
上	ue	on, above	机の上にペンがあります。	Tsukue no ue ni pen ga arimasu.	There is a pen on the desk.
下	shita	under, below	ベッドの下に猫がいます。	Beddo no shita ni neko ga imasu.	A cat is under the bed.
横	yoko	beside, next to	駅の横にコンビニがあります。	Eki no yoko ni konbini ga arimasu.	There is a convenience store next to the station.
間	aida	between, among	二つの家の間に木があります。	Futatsu no ie no aida ni ki ga arimasu.	There is a tree between the two houses.

Notice the little helper particle に in many of these sentences. Japanese likes to quietly point to location with に, while English just says “in,” “on,” or “under” and hopes for the best.

Useful Phrases For Everyday Location Talk

Kanji	Rōmaji	Meaning	Example	Rōmaji	Translation
ここ	koko	here	本はここにあります。	Hon wa koko ni arimasu.	The book is here.
そこ	soko	there, near you	財布はそこにあります。	Saifu wa soko ni arimasu.	The wallet is there.
あそこ	asoko	over there	学校はあそこにあります。	Gakkō wa asoko ni arimasu.	The school is over there.
前	mae	in front of	車の前に人がいます。	Kuruma no mae ni hito ga imasu.	There is a person in front of the car.
後ろ	ushiro	behind	椅子の後ろにバッグがあります。	Isu no ushiro ni baggu ga arimasu.	There is a bag behind the chair.
左	hidari	left	店の左に公園があります。	Mise no hidari ni kōen ga arimasu.	There is a park to the left of the store.
右	migi	right	駅の右に郵便局があります。	Eki no migi ni yūbinkyoku ga arimasu.	There is a post office to the right of the station.
隣	tonari	next door, next to	私の隣に友だちがいます。	Watashi no tonari ni tomodachi ga imasu.	My friend is next to me.
間	aida	between	机と窓の間に椅子があります。	Tsukue to mado no aida ni isu ga arimasu.	There is a chair between the desk and the window.

How To Use These Words

The basic pattern is simple:

Noun + の + position word + に + exists verb
Example: 机の上にペンがあります。
Tsukue no ue ni pen ga arimasu.
There is a pen on the desk.
ある is used for non-living things.
いる is used for living things.

That last bit matters. Japanese is very polite about whether something is alive. A cat gets います. A book gets あります. No one wants the grammar police showing up.

Pattern	Meaning	Example	Rōmaji	English
Noun + の + 中に	inside	バッグの中に鍵があります。	Baggu no naka ni kagi ga arimasu.	There is a key inside the bag.
Noun + の + 上に	on top of	箱の上に花があります。	Hako no ue ni hana ga arimasu.	There is a flower on the box.
Noun + の + 下に	under	テーブルの下に犬がいます。	Tēburu no shita ni inu ga imasu.	There is a dog under the table.
Noun + の + 横に	next to	銀行の横にカフェがあります。	Ginkō no yoko ni kafe ga arimasu.	There is a cafe next to the bank.
Noun + と + Noun + の間に	between	駅と学校の間に店があります。	Eki to gakkō no aida ni mise ga arimasu.	There is a shop between the station and the school.

Real-Life Sentences You Can Actually Use

Kanji	Rōmaji	Meaning	Example	Rōmaji	Translation
本はどこですか。	Hon wa doko desu ka.	Where is the book?	本は机の上にあります。	Hon wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.	The book is on the desk.
猫はどこですか。	Neko wa doko desu ka.	Where is the cat?	猫はソファの下にいます。	Neko wa sofa no shita ni imasu.	The cat is under the sofa.
駅はどこですか。	Eki wa doko desu ka.	Where is the station?	駅はコンビニの隣にあります。	Eki wa konbini no tonari ni arimasu.	The station is next to the convenience store.
写真はどこですか。	Shashin wa doko desu ka.	Where is the photo?	写真は棚の中にあります。	Shashin wa tana no naka ni arimasu.	The photo is inside the shelf.
公園はどこですか。	Kōen wa doko desu ka.	Where is the park?	公園は銀行と郵便局の間にあります。	Kōen wa ginkō to yūbinkyoku no aida ni arimasu.	The park is between the bank and the post office.

Small Confusions Worth Knowing

中 (naka) and 中に (naka ni) are related, but the full location phrase usually needs に when you say where something exists.

横 (yoko) and 隣 (tonari) both mean “next to,” but they are not identical. 横 is a more general “beside,” while 隣 often means the item or person right beside it, especially adjacent spaces or neighbors.

間 (aida) means “between,” but it also works for “among” in some situations. If you have two specific things, it is often very clear. If you have many things, context does the heavy lifting.

Quick Yak Wisdom: When Japanese location words feel too similar, don’t panic. The sentence usually gives away the meaning. Grammar likes to be annoying, but not impossible.

Practice

Change “inside the box” into Japanese: 箱の中に / Hako no naka ni
Change “on the table” into Japanese: テーブルの上に / Tēburu no ue ni
Change “under the chair” into Japanese: 椅子の下に / Isu no shita ni
Change “next to the station” into Japanese: 駅の横に / Eki no yoko ni
Change “between the bank and the school” into Japanese: 銀行と学校の間に / Ginkō to gakkō no aida ni

Try saying each one out loud. Japanese position words are easier to remember when your mouth has to do the job too. Sneaky, but effective.

Quick Reference Summary

中 (naka) = in, inside
上 (ue) = on, above
下 (shita) = under, below
横 (yoko) = beside, next to
隣 (tonari) = next to, adjacent
間 (aida) = between
に (ni) often marks the place where something exists
あります (arimasu) for things
います (imasu) for living beings

If you can spot the object, choose the relationship, and attach に in the right place, you are already doing real Japanese. Not flawless. Real. Which is better.