The Japanese Particle に

The Japanese Particle に

Disclaimer: As I’ve discussed before, Japanese particles, for me, are the most difficult to learn since it doesn’t have a direct English translation. As much as I wanted to avoid discussing it, I can’t because we need to learn the Japanese particles for us to create sentences and understand the Japanese language fluently. I might have a lot of grammar mistakes but I’ll try to make it as simple as possible so we can understand it easily.

Now, let’s discuss the Japanese particle に. Particleに can be translated as ‘to’ in English. It can also be translated as ‘at’, ‘in’, and ‘on’. に is almost similar to another particle which is で which I will discuss later in my blog.

Particleに is used to express direction, used as an indirect object marker, used to indicate existence, to express purpose, frequency, and specific time.

·       に is used to express direction, its English translation will be ‘to’. に directs the action towards its destination. ·       に is used as an indirect object marker, it is always linked to the Japanese particle を. The に particle is directed onto a person, place, or object. ·       に is used to indicate the existence, it translates into ‘at’ or ‘in’. It is used with verbs such as いる and ある both translated as ‘to exist’. ·       に is used to express purpose, its English translation will be ‘to’ the same as to express direction. ·       に is used for frequency and specific time, it can be translated as ‘at’, ‘on’ and ‘in’. It used various time expressions such as year, month, day, and clock time.

Sample sentences:

★ に is used to express direction.

あしたはかいしゃにいきます。
(明日は会社に行きます。)　
Ashita wa kaisha ni ikimasu.
I will go to office tomorrow.

きのうほんやにいきました。
(昨日本屋に行きました。)　
Kinou honya ni ikimashita.
I went to bookstore yesterday.

★ に is used as an indirect object marker.

かれはわたしにはなをプレゼントしてくれました。
(彼は私に花をプレゼントしてくれました。)　
Kare wa watashi ni hana wo purezento shite kuremashita.
He gave me flowers as a gift.

ただしいこたえをボックスないにきにゅうしてください。
(正しい答えをボックス内に記入してください。)　
Tadashii kotae wo bokkusu nai ni kinyuu shite kudasai.
Please write the correct answers inside the box.

★ に is used to indicate the existence.

れいぞうこのなかにケーキがあります。
(冷蔵庫の中にケーキがあります。)　
Reizouko no naka ni ke-ki ga arimasu.
There is a cake inside the refrigerator.

わたしのかれしはロンドンにすんでいます。
(私の彼氏はロンドンに住んでいます。)　
Watashi no kareshi wa Rondon ni sunde imasu.
My boyfriend lives in London.

★ に is used to express purpose.

きのうはおすしをたべにいきました。
(昨日はお寿司を食べに行きました。)　
Kinou wa osushi wo tabe ni ikimashita.
I went to eat sushi yesterday.

わたしはさくやはやくいえにかえりました。
(私は昨夜早く家に帰りました。)　
Watashi wa sakuya hayaku ie ni kaerimashita.
I went home early last night.

★ に is used for frequency and specific time.

ごご８じにそこにつきます。
(午後8時にそこに着きます。)　
Gogo 8-ji ni soko ni tsukimasu.
I will be there at 8:00 PM.

わたしはいっしゅうかんに４８じかんはたらきます。
(私は一週間に48時間働きます。)　
Watashi wa isshuukan ni 48-jikan hatarakimasu.
I work 48 hours a week.

---------------

For a better image, you can check the picture library in the link:

The Japanese Particle に 

---------------

Related Topic:
✅ The Japanese particle は
✅ The Japanese Particle を
✅ The Japanese particle か

Japanese Grammar:
📘 Monthly Grammar: Part 1 - Simple Japanese Conversation
📘 Monthly Grammar: Part II – Age in Japanese Conversation
📘 Monthly Grammar: Part III – Appreciating someone

Japanese Vocabulary:
📝 Japanese Vocabulary: Ten-Ten (“) and Maru (˚)
📝 Japanese Vocabulary: Small ‘つ’, Long vowels and Combined Characters
📝 Japanese Vocabulary: Age in Japanese Conversation

Japanese Videos:
📺 Video: Part II | Japanese words | Hiragana | Na-adjectives
📺 Video: Writing 10 Japanese Kanji - Part I
📺 Video: Writing 11 Japanese Kanji - Part II

---------------