A1 Japanese Grammar || Japanese Location Particles
Today we will study an essential component of the language, the Japanese location particles.
These are used to describe where a verb takes place.
There are two location particles in Japanese and mastering their use is an essential part of becoming fluent.
Japanese Location Particles | Focus on に (ni)
Japanese Location Particles | Focus on で (de)
Japanese Location Particles | FAQ’s
Japanese Location Particles | に ni
Existing or Being
In this context, に ni is used with being or existing verbs, and means something close to “at”/”in”.
NOTE || This makes it different from で de which will be talked about later.
The easiest way to visualize this is with examples:
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私は東京に住んでいます。 | Watashi wa Tokyo ni sunde imasu. | I live in Tokyo. | 住んでいます sunde imasu (I am living) is a verb that describes being in Tokyo. |
| 椅子の上に犬がいます。 | Isu no ue ni inu ga imasu. | There’s a dog on the chair. | The dog is existing on the chair. |
| ベンジャミンさんは福岡にいます。 | Benjamin san wa Fukuoka ni imasu. | Benjamin is in Fukuoka. | In this example, Benjamin is being in Fukuoka. |
When sentences with verbs like あります arimasu [to be (things)], います imasu [to be (people/animals)], or 住みます sumimasu (to live) have a location word, then the location word will likely have a に ni after.
Time
Whilst not specifically location, に ni is often used to help set the scene of a verb by marking specific times they’re done.
Generally, に ni is used for specific times (such as three o’clock, Tuesday, or July), but not with nonspecific time periods (such as today, tomorrow, or every evening).
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ベンジャミンさんは１７時に家に帰ります。 | Benjamin san wa go ji ni ie ni kaerimasu. | Benjamin goes home at 5pm. |
| 朝十時に買い物に行く。 | Asa jyuu ji ni kaimono ni iku. | I’ll go shopping at 10am. |
These examples show how に ni is sometimes used multiple times in one sentence. The first use is to indicate a time, whilst the second is to indicate direction of motion.
Japanese Location Particles | で de
The second Japanese location particle is で (de), and marks the location of an action.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 家で雑誌を読みます。 | Ie de zasshi o yomimasu. | I read magazines at home. |
| 学校で勉強した。 | Gakkou de benkyou shita. | I studied at school. |
| 北海道でスノーボードをした。 | Hokkaido de suno-bo-do wo shita. | I snowboarded in Hokkaido. |
| インドレストランでカレーを食べた。 | Indo resutoran de kare- wo tabeta. | I ate curry in the Indian restaurant. |
Beginners often mistake で (de) and に (ni). Make sure if you’re talking about an action taking place, then use で , whilst a non-action related location is に ni.
Are you a Flexi Classes student already?
Learn more about Japanese Locations Particles in the following Flexi lessons:
に | There Is A Dog (A1, Chapter 2)
で | I Found It On Facebook (A1, Chapter 4)
に | I Travel To Japan (A1, Chapter 4)
に | I Am In The Starbucks (A1+, Chapter 1)
Not a Flexi Student yet?
And that’s it! You now know about the two Japanese location particles.
To sum up:
- に is used for the state of existing or being somewhere.
- に is also used for time, helping set the scene of a verb.
- で is used to mark the location of an action.
Make sure you also check the other Japanese particles:
- Object particle を
- Possessive particle の
- Topic particle は
Need a teacher? Check out our online Japanese classes.
Japanese Location Particles | FAQ’s
What are the Japanese location particles?
The Japanese location particles are に ni and で de.
に is used for the state of existing or being somewhere.
に is also used for time, helping set the scene of a verb.
で is used to mark the location of an action.
How to use に ni?
に (ni) is used for the state of existing or being somewhere.
私は東京に住んでいます。Watashi wa Tokyo ni sunde imasu. | I live in Tokyo.
It is also used for time, helping set the scene of a verb.
朝十時に買い物に行く。asa jyuu ji ni kaimono ni iku. | I’ll go shopping at 10am.
How to use で de?
で is used to mark the location of an action.
家で雑誌を読みます。Ie de zasshi o yomimasu. | I read magazines at home.
学校で勉強した。Gakkou de benkyou shita. | I studied at school.
Beginners often mistake で (de) and に (ni). Make sure if you’re talking about an action taking place, then use で , whilst a non-action related location is に ni.
What is the Japanese possession particle?
Th Japanese possession particle is の (no).
We add the particle の to show the possession of something. It is like adding ‘s to the end of a word.
彼の帽子 kare no boushi | His hat
犬の毛 inu no ke | Dog’s fur
What is the Japanese topic particle?
The Japanese topic particle is は (wa).
In Japanese, the topic particle は follows a noun and is used to identify the topic. However, when something is discussed multiple times, the topic itself and the topic particle は are regularly omitted.
Examples:
私は学生です watashi wa gakusei desu || I am a student.
私は watashi wa || As for me…
天気は tenki wa || As for the weather…
Where to learn more Japanese grammar?
You can learn more grammar like this in our Japanese Grammar Bank.
If you’d like to study with a teacher, you should have a look at our online lessons on Flexi Classes (we even have a 7 day free trial!)
Would you rather study Japanese in Japan? We offer group and individual classes in Tokyo.