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すぐそば Japanese meaning | Kotomora

すぐそば

Common word

Meanings

1

noun

right beside; close to; nearby

usually written using kana alone

Describes a location very close to a reference point; often used with に or の.

駅えきのすぐそばにコンビニがある。
There is a convenience store right beside the station.
彼かれは私わたしのすぐそばに立たっていた。
He was standing close to me.

Written forms

すぐ側そば
Kanji spelling using 側; less common than kana but still encountered.
直すぐそば
Rare mixed kanji-kana spelling; 直ぐ is an uncommon rendering of すぐ.
直すぐ側そば
Rare full-kanji spelling; both 直ぐ and 側 are unusual for this word.

Kanji

側side, lean, oppose
直straightaway, honesty, frankness

Similar words

近ちかく
近く is a more general word for 'near' or 'vicinity', while すぐそば emphasizes immediate proximity.
隣となり
隣 means 'next to' or 'neighboring', often implying adjacency; すぐそば can be slightly farther but still very close.

Etymology

Compound of すぐ (immediately, directly) and そば (side, vicinity). The kanji 側 is sometimes used for そば, but kana is standard.