N5 Lesson 10 · Midnight Noir にほんご / Series 1 · みんなの日本語 第 10 課

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日本語で読む / Show Japanese

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Episode 10: Where It Hides

The information leads Mike to a small office on the third floor of an empty building. The lights are off. The door is unlocked. He enters silently.
情報がマイクを誘う ── 空きビルの 3 階、 小さな オフィス。 灯りは消えている。 扉は施錠されていない。 静かに、 マイクは入る。

The room is bare except for a table at its center. On the table — what he came for.
部屋には、 中央の テーブル のみ。 その上には ── 目的のもの。

He reaches for the camera. Then he turns. A presence — heat, breath, a body. Someone else is in the room.
カメラに、 手を伸ばす。 振り返る。 気配 ── 熱、 息、 体。 部屋に、 もう一人。

Time to leave. But first — the key. He pats his coat. Still there. Cold against his ribs.
離れる時。 だが、 その前に ── 鍵。 コートを叩く。 まだそこにある。 肋骨に、 冷たく。

He moves toward the door. He hears it before he sees it. A footstep. Soft. Close.
扉へ。 見るより、 先に聞こえる。 足音。 静かに。 近い。

→ Read the related chapter (Chapter 5: The Locked Room)
Available in 日本語 / English / 中文 / 繁體中文 / Tiếng Việt

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Key Sentences

1. 場所 に N が あります (a camera on the table)

• There is a camera on the table.
• 桌子上有相机。 / 桌子上有相機。
• Có một máy ảnh trên bàn.

2. 場所 に N が います (a man inside the room)

• There is a man inside the room.
• 房间里有一个男人。 / 房間裡有一個男人。
• Có một người đàn ông trong phòng.

3. N は 場所 に あります (the key is in the pocket)

• The key is in the pocket.
• 钥匙在口袋里。 / 鑰匙在口袋裡。
• Chìa khóa ở trong túi.

4. N の 位置 に N が います (a spy behind Mike)

• Behind Mike, there is a spy.
• 麦克的后面有一个间谍。 / 麥克的後面有一個間諜。
• Phía sau Mike có một điệp viên.

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Vocabulary

日本語	English	简体	繁體	Tiếng Việt
あります	exist (things, plants)	有 / 在	有 / 在	có (vật)
います	exist (people, animals)	有 / 在	有 / 在	có (người, động vật)
上うえue	on, top	上面	上面	trên
下したshita	under	下面	下面	dưới
前まえmae	in front	前面	前面	trước
後うしushiろ	behind	后面	後面	sau
中なかnaka	inside	里面	裡面	trong
外そとsoto	outside	外面	外面	ngoài
隣となりtonari	next to (adjacent)	旁边	旁邊	cạnh
近ちかchikaく	near, nearby	附近	附近	gần
テーブル	table	桌子	桌子	bàn
ポケット	pocket	口袋	口袋	túi
部屋へやheya	room	房间	房間	căn phòng
どこ	where	哪里	哪裡	ở đâu

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Grammar Patterns

Grammar Picture

Need more detail? Open the sections below.

あります vs います — which one?

The split is simple: inanimate vs animate.

• あります: things, plants, abstract — テーブル, 本, お金, 時間, カメラ, 木
• います: people, animals, anything that moves on its own — マイク, スパイ, 犬, ねこ, 友達

Edge cases: cars and trains use あります (treated as objects). Insects and fish use います (treated as animate).

に vs で — location particles

Both relate to locations, but they mean different things:

• に + あります／います = exists at (location of existence)
  テーブルの 上に カメラが あります。
• で + action verb = where action happens (location of action, Lesson 06)
  カフェで コーヒーを 飲みます。

Quick test: if the verb describes existence, use 「に」. If it describes an action, use 「で」.

Asking ‘where is X?’ — どこですか?

Two ways to ask:

• N は どこに ありますか？ = Where is N located? (formal, complete)
• N は どこですか？ = Where is N? (shorter, conversational)

Both work. The short form is more common in daily speech.

Answer with: 「N は 場所に あります／います。」 Or even shorter: 「ポケットの 中です。」

隣 vs 近く vs そば — all near, but how near?

Three words for proximity:

• 隣 (となり): directly adjacent, side by side, same category
  e.g., next-door house, person sitting next to you
• そば: very close, almost touching
  e.g., right by your side
• 近く (ちかく): nearby in general, broader area
  e.g., in the same neighborhood

「隣」 implies same-category proximity. A house can be 隣 of another house, but a tree is not 隣 of a house — it’s 近く or そば.

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Roleplay Practice

Try this dialog with a partner (or aloud, switching roles).

Scene: Mike asks a shopkeeper for a small item. The shopkeeper helps him find it.

Tip: Practice asking 「どこに ありますか?」 / 「どこに いますか?」 for things and people in your room.

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How do you say this in Japanese?

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How to Use This Lesson

For Self-Study (45 minutes)

1. Read Grammar Patterns (5 min) — focus on あります vs います split.
2. Practice Key Sentences (10 min) — describe your room aloud.
3. Learn Vocabulary (10 min) — pair location words as opposites (上／下, 前／後ろ, 中／外).
4. Read Mini Story (5 min) — feel the tension of an empty room.
5. Roleplay (10 min) — try asking 「どこに ありますか？」 for five different items.
6. Review tomorrow — close your eyes and describe where things are in your room.

Check Yourself (click to expand)

Q1. Which is correct: ‘There is a camera on the table’?

• A. テーブルの 上うえueに カメラが います。
• B. テーブルの 上うえueに カメラが あります。
• C. テーブルの 上うえueで カメラが あります。

Show answer

✓ B. テーブルの 上うえueに カメラが あります。

Camera is a thing, so 「あります」. Location of existence uses 「に」.

Q2. Which is correct: ‘There is a man inside the room’?

• A. 部屋へやheyaの 中なかnakaに 男おとこotokoの人ひとhitoが あります。
• B. 部屋へやheyaの 中なかnakaに 男おとこotokoの人ひとhitoが います。
• C. 部屋へやheyaの 中なかnakaで 男おとこotokoの人ひとhitoが います。

Show answer

✓ B. 部屋へやheyaの 中なかnakaに 男おとこotokoの人ひとhitoが います。

A person is animate, so 「います」.

Q3. 「テーブル の 下」 means:

• A. on the table
• B. under the table
• C. next to the table

Show answer

✓ B. under the table

「下したshita」 = under.

Q4. In the Mini Story, what is on the table?

• A. A key (鍵かぎkagi)
• B. A camera
• C. A photograph

Show answer

✓ B. A camera

Q5. Write: Describe where YOUR keys are right now.

No right answer.

Show answer

Samples:

• 鍵かぎkagiは ポケットの 中なかnakaに あります。
• 鍵かぎkagiは テーブルの 上うえueに あります。
• 鍵かぎkagiは かばんの 中なかnakaに あります。

For Teachers (click to expand)

For Teachers (45-60 minutes in class)

• Warm-up (5 min): Place objects around the room. Students identify each by location.
• Animate / inanimate sort (10 min): Picture cards of things, plants, people, animals. Sort into あります / います piles.
• Location drill (10 min): Pictures with prepositions (on, under, behind). Students make sentences with 「___の 上うえue／下したshita／後うしushiろに…」.
• Spatial map (10 min): Draw a room layout. Students describe positions.
• Roleplay (15 min): Shop or office scene. Customer asks where things are, clerk answers.
• Check Yourself (5-10 min): Individual quiz, group review.

Common pitfall: Students apply 「に」 to action verbs (e.g., 「カフェに コーヒーを 飲みます」). Reinforce that 「に」 is for existence verbs, 「で」 for action verbs.

Cultural note: Position words in Japanese require の: 「テーブルの 上」 (literally “table\’s top”). Unlike English prepositions, these are nouns that follow a possessive.

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