JLPT N5 Reading Lesson 03: Department Store Directories and Floor Maps (デパート案内)

Introduction

Welcome to Lesson 03! In this lesson, you will master reading Japanese department store floor guides (フロア案内) and building directories. Japanese multi-story shopping complexes use specific kanji for floors (階), basements (地下), elevators, escalators, and restroom facilities. Extracting where to buy clothes, stationery, food, or electronics is a standard practical question on the JLPT N5.

Learning Objectives

• Read multi-floor building directories and floor plans (フロアマップ).
• Understand floor numbering: 1階 to 10階, and basements: 地下1階 (B1F), 地下2階 (B2F).
• Identify facility icons and location labels (エスカレーター, トイレ, 案内所).
• Solve JLPT N5 information retrieval questions with speed and precision.

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Lesson Contents

Concept / Meaning

Information retrieval reading involves matching a user’s request (e.g., wanting to buy shoes or eat lunch) against a structured chart or map without reading every word linearly.

Japanese Form

[階数] は [売り場/施設] です。[商品] は [階数] にあります。

English Meaning

Reading commercial building directories, floor maps, and shopping facility charts.

Nepali Meaning

डिपार्टमेन्ट स्टोरको फ्लोर नक्सा, तल्ला विवरण (लिफ्ट, भर्‍याङ, पसलहरू) पढ्ने र बुझ्ने कला।

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Detailed Explanation

Basic Rule

1. Floor Counting: [Number] + 階 (かい/がい). Note sound changes: 1F (いっかい), 3F (さんがい), 6F (ろっかい), 8F (はっかい), 10F (じゅっかい).
2. Basement Floors: 地下 + [Number] + 階 (e.g. 地下1階 = ちかいっかい = Basement 1st Floor / B1F).
3. Floor Directory scanning: Find the category keyword (婦人服, 紳士服, 食料品, レストラン) and read across to the floor number.

Formation

• [Product/Area] + 売り場 (sales area, e.g. 靴売り場 = shoe department).

• [Floor] + から + [Floor] + まで (from [floor] to [floor]).

• 屋上 (おくじょう = rooftop).

Usage

Navigating Tokyo shopping malls (Lumine, Parco, Isetan), train station commercial buildings, and large electronics retail stores (Yodobashi Camera).

Important Notes

Sound changes with 階 (かい):

• 3階 = さんがい (Sangai – voiced!)
• 1階 (いっかい), 6階 (ろっかい), 8階 (はっかい), 10階 (じゅっかい).

Exceptions

地下 (ちか) is often abbreviated as B in Japan: B1F = 地下1階, B2F = 地下2階. Depachika (デパ地下) refers to the famous basement food halls of Japanese department stores.

Common Mistakes

Learners often read 3階 as ‘sankai’ instead of ‘sangai’. Also, be careful not to confuse 地下 (basement) with 地上 (above ground).

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Examples

Example 1

• Japanese: レストラン街は八階にあります。
• Reading: レストランがいは はっかいに あります。
• English: The restaurant area is on the 8th floor.
• Nepali: रेस्टुरेन्ट क्षेत्र आठौँ तल्लामा छ।

Example 2

• Japanese: 食料品売り場は地下1階です。
• Reading: しょくりょうひん うりばは ちかいっかいです。
• English: The grocery sales floor is on basement floor 1.
• Nepali: खाद्यान्न बिक्री कक्ष अन्डरग्राउन्ड १ तल्लामा छ।

Example 3

• Japanese: お手洗いは各階のエスカレーターの隣にあります。
• Reading: おてあらいは かくかいの エスカレーターの となりに あります。
• English: Restrooms are next to the escalator on each floor.
• Nepali: शौचालय हरेक तल्लाको एस्केलेटर छेउमा छ।

Example 4

• Japanese: 案内所は一階の正面入口にあります。
• Reading: あんないじょは いっかいの しょうめんいりぐちに あります。
• English: The information desk is at the 1st floor front entrance.
• Nepali: सूचना केन्द्र पहिलो तल्लाको मुख्य गेटमा छ।

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Vocabulary

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Conversation Practice

Situation

Looking for shoes and lunch inside a Shinjuku department store.

Dialogue

Raj: すみません、運動靴（スニーカー）を買いたいですが、何階ですか。 (すみません、うんどうぐつを かいたいですが、なんがいですか。)

Clerk: 靴売り場は四階のスポーツ用品コーナーにございます。 (くつうりばは よんかいの スポーツようひん コーナーに ございます。)

Raj: 四階ですね。買い物の後で食事をしたいですが、レストランは何階ですか。 (よんかいですね。かいものの あとで しょくじを したいですが、レストランは なんがいですか。)

Clerk: レストラン街は七階と八階にございますよ。 (レストランがいは ななかいと はっかいに ございますよ。)

Translation

• English:

Raj: Excuse me, I want to buy sneakers, what floor are they on?

Clerk: The shoe department is in the sports goods corner on the 4th floor.

Raj: 4th floor, got it. I’d like to eat after shopping, what floor are restaurants on?

Clerk: The restaurant area is on the 7th and 8th floors.

• Nepali:

प्रबिन: माफ गर्नुहोस्, म खेलकुदको जुत्ता किन्न चाहन्छु, कति तल्लामा होला?

कर्मचारी: जुत्ता पसल चौथो तल्लाको स्पोर्ट्स कर्नरमा छ।

प्रबिन: चौथो तल्ला है। किनमेलपछि खाना खान मन थियो, रेस्टुरेन्ट कति तल्लामा छ?

कर्मचारी: रेस्टुरेन्ट क्षेत्र सातौँ र आठौँ तल्लामा छ।

Speaking Practice

Practice asking for departments: 靴売り場は何階ですか, レストランは何階ですか.

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Reading Practice

Short Reading

【読解テキスト：さくらデパートのフロア案内】

※お手洗いは各階の東側にあります。

※車椅子の貸し出しは1階の案内所で行っています。

Vocabulary Help

書籍 (しょせき = books), 文房具 (ぶんぼうぐ = stationery), 家電製品 (かでんせいひん = consumer electronics), 紳士服 (しんしふく = men’s clothing), 婦人服 (ふじんふく = women’s clothing)

Reading Questions

1. 本や辞書を買いたい時、何階へ行きますか。(Where do you go to buy books and dictionaries?)
2. お弁当やお菓子はどこで売っていますか。(Where are boxed lunches and sweets sold?)
3. 1階の案内所では何ができますか。(What can you do at the 1st floor information desk?)

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Practice

Fill in the Blank

1. レストラン街は (8階 / 1階) にあります。[8th floor]
2. お弁当は (地下1階 / 屋上) で買えます。[Basement 1F]
3. 本やノートは (7階 / 2階) にあります。[7th floor]

Choose the Correct Answer

1. スポーツ用品を買うなら？ [A. 4階 / B. 6階]
2. 車を止める場所（駐車場）は？ [A. 地下2階 / B. 屋上]
3. お手洗いは各階のどっち側？ [A. 東側 / B. 西側]

Sentence Formation

1. [食料品売り場は / 地下1階に / あります] -> 食料品売り場は地下1階にあります。
2. [8階のレストランで / ご飯を / 食べました] -> 8階のレストランでご飯を食べました。

Word Arrangement

Arrange: [何階に, レストランは, ありますか] -> レストランは何階にありますか。

Translation Practice

1. Books are on the 7th floor. -> 本は七階にあります。
2. The information desk is on the 1st floor. -> 案内所は一階にあります。

Speaking Practice

Read aloud the floor guide from B2 to Rooftop in Japanese.

Writing Practice

Write down a shopping plan listing floors for shoes, lunch, and books.

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Questions

Basic Questions

What is the reading of 3階 in Japanese?

Understanding Questions

Where are Japanese food halls located in department stores?

Application Questions

How do you scan a floor table to quickly find stationery?

JLPT-style Questions

How are information retrieval questions formatted in JLPT N5?

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Meaning

Japanese Meaning

商業施設のフロア一覧表から目的の売り場や設備を素早く照合・特定する情報検索読解。

English Meaning

Information retrieval reading matching items and facilities quickly against floor directories.

Nepali Meaning

सपिङ मलको फ्लोर तालिका हेरेर चाहेको सामान कुन तल्लामा पाइन्छ भनेर खोज्ने सीप।

Important Vocabulary

階 (floor), 地下 (basement), 売り場 (department), 食料品 (groceries), 本 (books), レストラン (restaurant)

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How to Learn

Step 1: Understand

Read the question FIRST to know what item you are searching for (e.g. 本, 弁当, 靴).

Step 2: Memorize

Scan the table for the target keyword directly.

Step 3: Practice

Read the corresponding floor number on the left.

Step 4: Speak

Check special notes at the bottom (footnotes, asterisk * conditions).

Step 5: Read

Never read the entire table word for word; use visual scanning.

Step 6: Review

Confirm the option and mark your answer.

Memory Tips

Department store basements (地下1階) in Japan are universally famous for fresh food and lunchboxes!

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Common Mistakes

Mistake 1

• Incorrect: Looking on the wrong floor because of missing subcategories (e.g. looking for books on 1F instead of 7F).
• Correct Form: Check the exact sub-items: 書籍・文房具 is on 7階.
• Why: Directories list specific merchandise alongside broad categories.

Mistake 2

• Incorrect: Confusing 地下1階 with 1階.
• Correct Form: 地下 (chika) means basement; 1階 is ground floor.
• Why: Missing the ‘地下’ kanji leads to answering the wrong floor entirely.

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