Japanese for Guiding a Delivery Driver to Your Apartment Entrance
Learn polite Japanese directions for a large apartment building: entrance, auto-lock door, back entrance, parking area and stairs, with a two-step route pattern using 〜を右に曲がって、〜の前に来てください.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
When a delivery driver calls because they cannot find your building entrance, you need short, polite directions that work over the phone. In Japanese, the useful core is a two-step route: tell the driver to turn at a landmark, then tell them where to come. This lesson gives you the words for the parts of a large building — エントランス (main entrance), オートロック (auto-lock door), 裏口 (back entrance), 駐車場の前 (in front of the parking area) — and the pattern 〜を右に曲がって、〜の前に来てください. You will also practise floor numbers and asking staff to repeat. Building layouts differ, so the goal is not a fixed script but the ability to describe your own building accurately and politely.
By the end, you can…
- name the main parts of a large apartment building in Japanese, including エントランス, オートロック, 裏口 and 駐車場の前.
- give a two-step route politely using 〜を右に曲がって、〜の前に来てください.
- say floor numbers and ask a driver or staff member to repeat or wait.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
エントランスの前に来てください。
Please come to the front of the main entrance.
entoransu no mae ni kite kudasai
Use エントランス for the main lobby entrance of a large building. 来てください is a polite request; it is softer than a bare command.
駐車場の前を右に曲がってください。
Please turn right in front of the parking area.
chuushajou no mae o migi ni magatte kudasai
〜を右に曲がってください means 'turn right at/in front of ~'. The particle を marks the point you pass through.
オートロックのドアの前に来てください。
Please come to the front of the auto-lock door.
ootorokku no doa no mae ni kite kudasai
オートロック is the locked entrance door that needs a key or code. Use it to tell the driver exactly which door you mean.
三階の部屋までお願いします。
Please come up to the room on the third floor.
sangai no heya made onegai shimasu
Floor numbers use 〜階, read 〜かい or 〜がい depending on the number: 三階 is さんがい, 五階 is ごかい. までお願いします politely states the destination.
すみません、もう一度お願いします。
Excuse me, could you say that one more time?
sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu
A useful repair phrase when you cannot catch the driver's words. もう一度 means 'one more time'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The two-step route pattern is: [landmark] を右に曲がって、[place] の前に来てください。For example, 駐車場の前を右に曲がって、エントランスの前に来てください。('Turn right in front of the parking area, and please come to the front of the main entrance.') You can replace 右 with 左 (hidari, left). The first part tells the driver where to turn; the second part tells them where to stop. Keep each step short, because the driver is often listening while walking or driving. If the route has three steps, add another 〜て form: 階段を上がって、右に曲がって、オートロックの前に来てください。('Go up the stairs, turn right, and come to the front of the auto-lock door.').
When to use it
Use this pattern when the driver has already arrived near your building but cannot find the correct entrance. Start with the landmark the driver can see: 駐車場の前 (in front of the parking area), コンビニの前 (in front of the convenience store), or 階段 (the stairs). Then name your entrance: エントランス, オートロック, or 裏口. For a back entrance, say 裏口の前に来てください。('Please come to the front of the back entrance.') If you live on a higher floor, add 三階の部屋までお願いします。('Please come up to the room on the third floor.') Building layouts vary, so check your own building's landmarks and use the words that match what the driver can actually see.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
もしもし、荷物をお届けに来ましたが、エントランスが見つかりません。
Hello, I've come to deliver a package, but I can't find the main entrance.moshimoshi, nimotsu o otodoke ni kimashita ga, entoransu ga mitsukarimasenすみません、今いるところに駐車場はありますか。
Excuse me, is there a parking area where you are now?sumimasen, ima iru tokoro ni chuushajou wa arimasu kaはい、駐車場の前にいます。
Yes, I'm in front of the parking area.hai, chuushajou no mae ni imasuでは、駐車場の前を右に曲がって、オートロックの前に来てください。三階の部屋までお願いします。
Then please turn right in front of the parking area, and come to the front of the auto-lock door. Please come up to the room on the third floor.dewa, chuushajou no mae o migi ni magatte, ootorokku no mae ni kite kudasai. sangai no heya made onegai shimasuA little context goes a long way
Japanese phone directions to a delivery driver usually stay short and polite. 〜てください is a request, not a harsh command, and adding すみません or お願いします keeps the tone cooperative. Drivers may use オートロック to mean the locked entrance, so it is worth knowing even if your building calls it something else. If you are unsure what the driver sees, ask a simple question rather than guessing.
One thing to watch for
Saying 右に曲がってください。 without naming the landmark, so the driver does not know where to turn.
Try this instead: Name the point first with を: 駐車場の前を右に曲がってください。('Please turn right in front of the parking area.') The landmark makes the instruction usable.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you tell a driver to turn left in front of the parking area and come to the front of the back entrance?
Show a sample answer
駐車場の前を左に曲がって、裏口の前に来てください。
This uses the two-step pattern with 左 (left) and 裏口 (back entrance). Other landmarks or entrances are fine if they match your building.
2How do you say 'Please come up to the room on the fifth floor'?
Show a sample answer
五階の部屋までお願いします。
五階 is 'fifth floor', read ごかい. までお願いします politely gives the destination. 五階の部屋に来てください is also understandable.
3The driver speaks too fast. What polite phrase can you use?
Show a sample answer
すみません、もう一度お願いします。
This asks for a repeat without sounding annoyed. ゆっくりお願いします ('please speak slowly') is another valid option.
Keep it to two short steps: name the landmark with を, then say where to come with の前に来てください. Add floor numbers and a polite お願いします, and describe your own building's actual entrance, auto-lock door, back entrance or parking area.
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