Introduction
Do you want to say “There is a cat in the park” or “There is a post office near the station” in Japanese? In this post, you will learn how to say that something is in a place using:
Place に N が あります / います
Let’s learn how to use this grammar in an easy way!
What It Means
Place に N が あります / います means:
“There is (N) in (Place).”
Use the correct verb depending on what kind of thing N is:
• あります (arimasu) → for things that don’t move (books, keys, trees, etc.)
• います (imasu) → for people and animals (living things that move)
When You Use It
Use this grammar when you want to:
• Say something exists in a place
• Ask what is in a place
• Tell someone where something is
Examples
1. Thing exists in a place
• 公園に木があります。 (Kōen ni ki ga arimasu.) There is a tree in the park.
• うちに犬がいます。(Uchi ni inu ga imasu.) There is a dog in my house.
2. Ask what is in a place
• 部屋に何がありますか？ (Heya ni nani ga arimasu ka?) What is in the room?
3. Say there is nothing
• 部屋に何もありません。(Heya ni nani mo arimasen.) There is nothing in the room.
Emphasizing the Person or Thing
The basic sentence pattern is:
Place に N が あります / います
➤ “There is (N) in (Place).”
But when you want to focus on the person or thing (N) — maybe because it’s important or already known in the conversation — you change the word order:
N は Place に あります / います
➤ “(N) is in (Place).”
This use of は is called 取り立て (toritate) in Japanese. It works like:
“As for N, it is in Place.”
You’re putting a spotlight on the thing or person, not the location.
Compare:
• 公園に犬がいます。 (Kōen ni inu ga imasu.) There is a dog in the park.
Focus is on the place (What is in the park?)
• 犬は公園にいます。 (Inu wa kōen ni imasu.) The dog is in the park.
Focus is on the dog (Where is the dog?)
Use や (ya) to Show an Incomplete List
Use や (ya) when you want to give some examples, not the whole list.
It’s different from と (to), which shows a complete list.
• と (to): a complete list (A and B — only those)
• や (ya): an incomplete list (A, B, and more)
Examples:
• 机の上にペンとノートがあります。(Tsukue no ue ni pen to nōto ga arimasu.)
There is a pen and a notebook. (Only those)
• 机の上にペンやノートがあります。(Tsukue no ue ni pen ya nōto ga arimasu.)
There is a pen, a notebook, and other things.
Use N1のN2 as a location
• N1 = reference point
• N2 = actual location
e.g. 学校の前 (gakkō no mae) = “in front of the school”
• 駅の近くにコンビニがあります。 (Eki no chikaku ni konbini ga arimasu.)
There is a convenience store near the station.
• 学校の前にバス停があります。 (Gakkō no mae ni basutei ga arimasu.)
There is a bus stop in front of the school.
Conclusion
Now you can talk about what is in a place in Japanese!
Remember:
• Use あります for things (including tree which is not moving)
• Use います for people/animals
• Use や for listing examples
• Use Place に N が あります / います to say “There is N in Place”
