Lesson 5: Location and Direction

Overview

Knowing how to say where things are is one of the most practical skills at the beginner level. You need it to give directions, describe a room, find things in a store, and tell someone where to meet you. This lesson introduces 在 as the key verb for location, and a set of position words that act like mini-phrases describing spatial relationships.

The position words in Chinese are two-character compounds: 上面 (above), 下面 (below), 里面 (inside), and so on. Once you learn the pattern, you can combine them with any place noun to say exactly where something is.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Say where something is located using 在
• Use position words to describe spatial relationships
• Ask where something is with 在哪里？
• Give simple directions in Chinese

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
在	zài	verb/prep	to be at, in, on	我在家。
这里	zhèlǐ	pronoun	here	我在这里。
那里	nàlǐ	pronoun	there	他在那里。
哪里	nǎlǐ	question	where	你在哪里？
上面	shàngmian	noun	above, on top	书在桌子上面。
下面	xiàmian	noun	below, underneath	猫在床下面。
里面	lǐmian	noun	inside	钱在包里面。
外面	wàimian	noun	outside	他在外面等。
前面	qiánmian	noun	in front	学校在前面。
后面	hòumian	noun	behind	停车场在后面。
旁边	pángbiān	noun	beside, next to	银行在邮局旁边。
桌子	zhuōzi	noun	table, desk	桌子上有一本书。
椅子	yǐzi	noun	chair	椅子在桌子旁边。
学校	xuéxiào	noun	school	学校在哪里？

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 在 + place

Structure: Subject + 在 + Place

在 is the core location verb. When used as a main verb, it means "to be located at." Notice that in Chinese, the location is stated after the subject and verb, not at the end of the sentence the way it often appears in English.

Example	Pinyin	English
我在家。	Wǒ zài jiā.	I am at home.
书在桌子上。	Shū zài zhuōzi shàng.	The book is on the table.
银行在哪里？	Yínháng zài nǎlǐ?	Where is the bank?

Common mistake: using 是 instead of 在 for location. 是 links nouns to nouns. For location, always use 在: 我在学校, not 我是学校.

Pattern 2: Position words as location phrases

Structure: Noun + 上面 / 下面 / 里面 / 前面 / 后面 / 旁边

Position words attach directly after a place noun to create a location phrase. You can then use this phrase after 在 to give a precise location. In spoken Chinese, the 面 part is sometimes dropped and just the directional character remains: 桌子上 instead of 桌子上面. Both are correct.

Example	Pinyin	English
书在桌子上面。	Shū zài zhuōzi shàngmian.	The book is on top of the table.
猫在椅子下面。	Māo zài yǐzi xiàmian.	The cat is under the chair.
手机在包里。	Shǒujī zài bāo lǐ.	The phone is in the bag.

Common mistake: reversing the noun and position word. It is always: reference object first, then position word. 桌子上面 means "on top of the table." Saying 上面桌子 does not make sense.

Pattern 3: 在哪里 and 在这里/那里

Structure: Subject + 在哪里？ / Subject + 在这里/那里。

这里 means "here" (close to the speaker), 那里 means "there" (away from the speaker), and 哪里 is the question form "where." These three words parallel the 这/那/哪 system you will see throughout Chinese.

Example	Pinyin	English
厕所在哪里？	Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?	Where is the toilet?
超市就在这里。	Chāoshì jiù zài zhèlǐ.	The supermarket is right here.
他在那里等你。	Tā zài nàlǐ děng nǐ.	He is waiting for you over there.

Common mistake: confusing 哪里 (where) with 那里 (there). The tones are different: 哪 is third tone (nǎ), 那 is fourth tone (nà). Listen carefully and practice the distinction.

Dialogue

A new student asks for directions on campus.

新生: 你好！请问图书馆在哪里？ Nǐ hǎo! Qǐngwèn túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ? Hello! Excuse me, where is the library?

学长: 图书馆在教学楼前面，食堂的旁边。 Túshūguǎn zài jiàoxué lóu qiánmian, shítáng de pángbiān. The library is in front of the teaching building, next to the canteen.

新生: 教学楼在这里吗？ Jiàoxué lóu zài zhèlǐ ma? Is the teaching building here?

学长: 不，教学楼在那里，往前走五分钟。 Bù, jiàoxué lóu zài nàlǐ, wǎng qián zǒu wǔ fēnzhōng. No, the teaching building is over there, five minutes' walk straight ahead.

新生: 好的，谢谢你！ Hǎo de, xièxie nǐ! Okay, thank you!

学长: 不客气！祝你学习顺利！ Bù kèqi! Zhù nǐ xuéxí shùnlì! You are welcome! I hope your studies go well!

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank

1. 我的书包 __ 椅子下面。(is at)
2. 银行 __ 邮局旁边。(is at)
3. 猫在哪 __？(where)
4. 手机在桌子 __。(on top)
5. 学校在 __ 面，走路五分钟。(front)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

1. Where is the bathroom?
2. My phone is in the bag.
3. The supermarket is next to the bank.
4. She is waiting outside.
5. The book is under the table.

Exercise 3: Answer these questions

1. 你现在在哪里？
2. 你的手机在哪里？
3. 学校在你家的哪个方向？

Cultural Note

Giving and receiving directions in China often involves landmarks rather than street addresses. Rather than saying "turn left at the third traffic light," people commonly say things like "it is next to the big supermarket" or "walk past the Bank of China and you will see it." This landmark-based orientation reflects how people mentally map Chinese cities, which are often organised around large intersections and recognisable buildings. When asking for directions, do not hesitate to ask 请问 (qǐngwèn, excuse me/may I ask) before your question. This small word makes your request sound polite and considerate, and people are generally very willing to help.