Japanese for English speakers Farm · Lesson 4

Staying overnight

Plan an overnight stay in Japanese — 泊まります (tomarimasu, spend the night) — and talk about staying at a 旅館 (ryokan). Use the polite want-form 〜たいです.

Conversation

  1. Kyle Kyle

    どこに泊まりますか？

    doko ni tomarimasu ka?

    Where are we going to spend the night?

    Tip: <tomarimasu> = to spend the night, to sleep over

  2. Rocky Rocky

    旅館に泊まりたいです

    ryokan ni tomaritai desu

    I would like to spend the night at a ryokan

    Tip: <ryokan> = Traditional Japanese hotel

  3. Kyle Kyle

    旅館ですか？

    ryokan desu ka?

    Oh, a ryokan?

  4. Rocky Rocky

    素敵ですね

    suteki desu ne

    It is gorgeous

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What is a 旅館 (ryokan)?

A traditional Japanese inn with tatami-mat rooms, futons, kaiseki dinners, and often an onsen (hot spring bath). Very different from a Western hotel.

How do you say 'I want to ...' in Japanese?

Verb stem + たいです (tai desu): 行きたいです = 'I want to go'. 食べたいです = 'I want to eat'.

What does 泊まります mean?

'To stay overnight' or 'spend the night' somewhere — used for hotels, friends' houses, ryokan.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.