Describing your hometown
Conversation phrases, Stage 1chunk 9 of 68Getting to know you
Pin down where their hometown is and say what yours is like.
- donna tokoro?what's it like there?; what kind of place is it?
- ... no dono hen?whereabouts in ...?
- nanimo nai tokoro da yothere's not much there; it's the middle of nowhere
- motomoto wa ...originally ...; at first ...
Mix-ups dono hen (whereabouts) vs donna (what kind of).
donna tokoro?
polite donna tokoro desu ka?
what's it like there?; what kind of place is it?
Follow-up after someone names their hometown or a place they've been.
Donna + noun asks 'what kind of': donna hito? (what's he like?).
sendai shusshin na n da. donna tokoro?
You're from Sendai? What's it like there?
仙台出身なんだ。どんなところ？
sendai no goshusshin na n desu ne. donna tokoro desu ka?
So you're from Sendai. What's it like there?
仙台のご出身なんですね。どんなところですか？
Written どんなところ？ · どんなところですか？Who you say it and hear itHeard 36× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
... no dono hen?
polite ... no dono hen desu ka?
whereabouts in ...?
The follow-up after someone names a country or city; answer with a nearby big city or ... no chikaku (near ...).
Hen also works for vague places on its own: kono hen (around here).
igirisu no dono hen? rondon?
Whereabouts in England? London?
イギリスのどの辺？ロンドン？
igirisu no dono hen desu ka? rondon desu ka?
Whereabouts in England? London?
イギリスのどの辺ですか？ロンドンですか？
Written 〜のどの辺？ · 〜のどのへん？ · 〜のどの辺ですか？Who you say it and hear itHeard 3× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
nanimo nai tokoro da yo
polite nanimo nai tokoro desu yo
there's not much there; it's the middle of nowhere
The modest stock answer about your hometown, even when it's nice; the other person will often push back.
Nanimo + negative = nothing; inaka is the countryside, or 'back home'.
inaka da kara, nanimo nai tokoro da yo.
It's the countryside, so there's not much there.
田舎だから、何もないところだよ。
inaka na node, nanimo nai tokoro desu yo.
It's out in the countryside, so there isn't much there.
田舎なので、何もないところですよ。
Written 何もないところだよ · なにもないところだよ · 何もないところですよWho you say itHeard 12× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
motomoto wa ...
originally ...; at first ...
Contrasts how things were with how they are now, often followed by ima wa.
Also 'to begin with': motomoto suki ja nakatta (I never liked it in the first place).
motomoto wa kyouto da kedo, ima wa toukyou ni sunderu.
I'm originally from Kyoto, but I live in Tokyo now.
もともとは京都だけど、今は東京に住んでる。
motomoto wa kyouto desu kedo, ima wa toukyou ni sunde imasu.
I'm originally from Kyoto, but now I live in Tokyo.
もともとは京都ですけど、今は東京に住んでいます。
Written もともとは〜Who you say itHeard 39× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles