Minna no Nihongo Elementary 1: Lesson 3 vocabulary review

ここ is near the speaker; そこ is near the listener.

食堂 often means a school or workplace cafeteria, but can also mean a modest restaurant.

Use で for the means of travel; エレベーターに乗る means to get into an elevator.

あそこ refers to a place away from both speaker and listener.

新大阪 is a station name, distinct from 大阪駅; check which station you need.

This question is common; お手洗い is a more discreet alternative to トイレ.

お手洗い is useful when politely asking to use a restroom at a restaurant or someone's home.

どこ asks a location and can also ask where a person or organization is from.

会議室 is the room; 会議 is the meeting itself.

事務所 refers to an office or administrative workplace, rather than the entire company.

どちら asks politely where something is, and can also ask which of two choices.

あちら is polite for あそこ and may also refer to the people or organization on that side.

お国 politely refers to the other person's country; omit お when naming your own.

Use 靴を履く for putting shoes on and 靴を脱ぐ for taking them off.

A country name plus の can describe a product's origin; the language is イタリア語.

いくら asks the price; いくつ asks how many items.

Japanese groups large numbers by 万; 一万 means ten thousand, not one thousand.

三千 is さんぜん and 八千 is はっせん; their sounds change.

三百, 六百, and 八百 read さんびゃく, ろっぴゃく, and はっぴゃく.

円 follows the amount and reads えん; Japanese does not mark a plural form here.

Use a noun plus をください to request an item; an action requires a verb in the て form plus ください.

Use this while indicating a product; これ points to an item near you.

Staff say this to customers; customers generally do not need to repeat it back.

It can apologize or politely get someone's attention before a question.

どうも can be a brief thanks; どうもありがとうございます is fuller and more polite.

赤ワイン is red wine; 白ワイン is white wine.

A product name plus の売り場 means the area that sells that product.

Use 地下 with a floor number, as in 地下二階, for basement levels.

階 counts building floors; 三階 is さんがい and 四階 is よんかい.

何階 is なんがい; answer with a number plus 階です.

見せる means to show something to someone; 見る means to look at it yourself.

じゃ is the conversational form of では, useful for moving on in a casual conversation.

教室 can mean a room or a class, as in 日本語教室.

広島 is a place name, read ひろしま.

受付 can mean the reception desk or the handling of applications and registrations.

そこ usually points near the listener and can also refer to a place just mentioned.

Use で for the machine used to buy something; small change is 小銭.

This commonly refers to the shared entrance area of a hotel or large building.

こちら politely refers to a direction, place, or a person being introduced.

そちら can mean the listener's side or politely refer to the listener.

A French person is フランス人; the French language is フランス語.

Wearing a tie is commonly ネクタイをする, or ネクタイを締める.

Use を for a route traveled; 階段で describes using the stairs as a means.

An エスカレーター is an escalator, distinct from an エレベーター elevator.

Use に for the person you call; 電話 also means the telephone itself.

部屋に uses に to mark where something is located.

いえ tends to name a house; うち often refers to one's own home or household.

大阪 is おおさか; 大阪駅 and 新大阪駅 are different stations.

会社 can refer to the organization or its workplace, depending on context.

This is a city name, not a country; the country is タイ.

This names a German city; use で to mark the location of a meeting.

A city name plus に住む describes where someone lives.

スイス means Switzerland, not スウェーデン, Sweden.