English–Japanese

“near” in Japanese

Japanese

Also近い (chikai) · 近く (chikaku) · 間近 (majika)

Pronunciation

Romajisoba

Example

駅のそばに店があります。eki no so ba ni mise ga a ri ma su

There is a shop near the station.

Illustration for そば (near)

How to say “near” in Japanese

“Near” in Japanese is そば (soba).

The noun そば (soba, "side") expresses closeness by locating someone or something at another person's or thing's side.

Full entry for そば: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with そば

学校のそばで友だちと遊びます。gak kō no so ba de tomo da chi to aso bi ma su

I play with my friends near the school.

猫が母のそばで眠っています。neko ga haha no so ba de nemu tte i ma su

The cat is sleeping beside my mother.

Tips for using そば

  • In conversation, そば (soba) can also mean buckwheat noodles, so context distinguishes the location meaning from the food name.

Other Japanese words for “near”

学校は近いです。gak kō wa chika i de su

The school is near.

3

近く

chikaku

nounnear
nounnearby

公園は駅の近くです。kō en wa eki no chika ku de su

The park is near the station.

試験の日が間近です。shi ken no hi ga ma jika de su

The day of the exam is near.

Related English words

“near” in other languages