This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word tonari, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, related expressions and more!
Contents
What does tonari mean?
Tonari (隣、となり) means next to or next door in Japanese. This is a useful word when giving directions or talking about the position of something. Note that tonari no hito (隣の人) or simply tonari no can also stand for neighbor.
Below, we take a look at some examples of how to use tonari in Japanese.
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
Example sentences using tonari
僕は彼の隣に座った。
Boku wa kare no tonari ni suwatta.
ぼくはかれのとなりにすわった。
I sat next to him.
その公園の隣がコンビニです。
Sono kouen no tonari ga konbini desu.
そのこうえんのとなりがこんびにです。
There is a convenience store next to that park.
スペインはポルトガルの隣です。
Supein wa porutogaru no tonari desu.
すぺいんはぽるとがるのとなりです。
Spain is next to Portugal.
隣の家にフランス人が住んでいる。
Tonari no ie ni furansu jin ga sundeiru.
となりのいえにふらんすじんがすんでいる。
There is a French person living next door.
隣の部屋の騒音で眠れない。
Tonari no heya no souon de nemurenai.
となりのへやのそうおんでねむれない。
I can’t sleep because of noise from the room next door.
隣に住んでいるおばさんはちょっと怖いです。
Tonari ni sundeiru obasan wa chotto kowai desu.
となりにすんでいるおばさんはちょっとこわいです。
The woman next door is a little bit scary.
Why example sentences?
Learning Japanese can seem like a daunting task at first. The grammar and forms of politeness are very different from what English native speakers are used to.
You also have three distinct writing systems to get the hang of. I know it was difficult for me when I started out in 2005. But don’t let the kanji fool you! Like any language, Japanese is conquered one word at a time.
Example sentences are a big part of how I achieved fluency and became a professional translator. That’s why I’m writing this series of articles to break down new words in simple terms. I hope they will be useful.
A couple of bonus tips
Here are a couple of additional pointers to supercharge your learning.
1. Learn new vocabulary terms with example sentences
It’s much easier to remember the meaning of a new word within a sentence rather than in isolation. Use sites such as Linguee to find helpful examples for the term you want to learn.
2. Focus on verbs first and foremost.
Verbs will allow you to quickly construct your own sentences so they should be the main part of your study early on. You can always learn the Japanese for pencil sharpener when you actually need it.
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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