Useful Japanese Words

Let's look at another useful Japanese word, Tokoro, which has some interesting usages.

ところ　basically means place.

Place it after a verb in the plain form:

                        Neru tokoro

After the word list are a few examples:

To sleep = 寝る　= ねる　here = ここ　quiet = 静か　= しずか　

to work = 仕事する　= しごとする

No place to sleep.　

    寝るところがないです。

This is a quiet place.　

    ここは静かなところです。

Is this your place of work?　

    ここはあなたが仕事しているところですか。

It can also give the idea of something just having happened or that you or someone have just done something.

Use tokoro, after a verb in the plain past.

You want to say that someone has just left the office:

                  To have just left = deta + tokoro = deta tokoro

        He has just left the office =   Kare wa kaisha o deta tokoro desu.     

After the word list are a few examples:

He = 彼　= かれ　office = 会社　= かいしゃ　to leave = 出る　= でる　

to finish = 終わる　= おわる　to telephone = 電話する　= でんわする　

station = 駅　= えき　to arrive = 着く　= つく　train = 電車　でんしゃ

He has just left the office.

 　彼は会社を出たところです。

I’ll call you just as soon as I’ve finished work.　

    仕事が終わったところで電話します。

Just as I arrived at the station, the train was leaving.　

    駅に着いたところ電車はもう出てしまっていました。

The plain form + tokoro is used to convey that something was "just about to …" I

After the word list are a few examples:

Now = 今　= いま　Mr Suzuki = 鈴木さん　

to phone = 電話する　= でんわする　cell phone = 携帯電話　= けいたい

でんわ　to forget = 忘れる　= わすれる  house = 家　= いえ　

to leave = 出る　= でる

 I was just about to call Mr Suzuki.

　 今鈴木さんに電話するところでした。

I almost forgot my cell phone.　

    私の携帯電話を忘れるところでした。

I saw her just as she was coming out of the house.

 　彼女が家から出てくるところを見ました。

The plain form + bakkari has a similar meaning

                        その車を買ったところです。

                        その車を買ったばっかりです、

They both mean: I have just bought that car.

However, "tokoro" is more precise in time and means that you had bought it a moment ago, or had just arrived home from buying it.

Whereas "bakkari" could mean that you bought it last week, but is still relatively new.

Practice

Basic Japanese vocabulary for the below exercise.

It's written first in English, then kanji and finally hiragana:

He = 彼　= かれ　now = 今　= いま　to return = 帰る　かえる　

children = 子供たち　= こどもたち　this = この　room = 部屋　= へや　

to clean = 掃除する　= そうじする　Tom = トム

to speak = 話す　= はなす to decide　= 決める　= きめる　

bicycle = 自転車 = じてんしゃ　

to sell = 売る　= うる　eye = 目　= め　to close = 閉じる　= とじる　

to sleep = 寝る　= ねる　newspaper = 新聞　= しんぶん　

to read = 読む　= よむ　a drink = 飲み物　= のみもの　

to pay = 払う　= はらう　to forget = 忘れる　= わすれる　

school = 学校　= がっこう　inside = 中　= なか　

to enter = 入る　= はいる  just now　= 今しがた　= いましがた

Once you have done it, click here to see how you did.

Now, do it again and again until you are perfect and fast.

The only way to remember all this in Useful Japanese Word, tokoro, is to practice it on a regular basis.

The best way to do this is:

1. Come back to this page regularly and check yourself on the above 12 Japanese phrases.
2. Write an example of each of the tenses in a small note book, so as to practice them when you have nothing to do, like waiting for a bus.
3. Learn Japanese kanji by also writing the above kanji in a separate notebook and practicing these on a regular basis too.
   

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