When can I say いる for Inanimate Objects?

There are two highly common Japanese verbs that mean to exist or be somewhere. They are いる and ある. These are two verbs that you will learn early and use often. They mean basically the same thing except for a small difference. ある is said when talking about inanimate objects or things, and いる when talking about animate or living things. There is one situation though where you can say いる when talking about inanimate objects though. Let’s take a look

When can I say いる for Inanimate Objects?

Before you get too far into this just know that this only happens in a very limited situation. So, if you are new to learning Japanese don’t worry too much about it.

動詞 – The Basics of Japanese verbs

Anyway, いる can be said when talking about the temporary position of vehicles that are currently being controlled by a person. Basically, when you are driving and you are talking about moving traffic or cars that have temporarily stopped.

https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/

Examples for Vehicles with いる

後うしろにいる車くるまは近ちかすぎる
The car behind me is too close

今いま家いえの前まえにタクシーがいる
The taxi is now in front of the house

週末しゅうまつになるとこの道路どうろは車くるまが全然ぜんぜんいない
There are no cars at all on this road on the weekend

When not to use いる

So if you see the examples above, they all are suggesting that a driver is in the vehicle. If you are talking about someone parking their car, or some broken down car on the side of the highway then you would not say いる.

Resources

• いる – Weblio