Particle: に（ｍore detail）

 

In another articles about particles We learnt that the particle に and で　can be used for mark places as you can see the below. 

Destination/Goal	にほん	に			いきます
Place of Action	にほん	で	すし	を	たべます
Place of Existence	にほん	に	ともだち	が	います

 

I will explain that the particles "に" can be used other than for a place.

Let's see how to use 1 to 5

1. Specific Time

あさ　7じ　に　おきた (I got up at 7:00AM) 11にち　に　しけんをうける (I will take an examination on the 11th) ６がつ　に　そつぎょうする (I will graduate [from a school] in June) つぎの　はる　に　にほん　へ　いく(I will go to Japan next spring)  Note:に and へ indicate the final destination and まで indicates part of the destination and ending point.

 

2. Result of Change: に

やきゅうせんしゅ に なった（I became a baseball player）

 

3. Source: に vs. から

おかあさん に / から ほんをもらった (I got a book from my mother)

 

4. Object of Verb: に vs. を・と

に, を and と can express object of verb. The difference between に and を cannot be defined clearly. However, it is said that if the verb has a nuance of direction or motion, the particle should be に. When it comes to “to meet” and “to kiss”, imaginatively speaking, you would move toward him or her.   The difference between に and と is whether it is an interactive action or not. If に is used in the example, you must be the action taker and we can describe that it is from you to him. If と is used, both “you” and “he” can be the action taker and we can describe that it is each other. Therefore, we can use only と with this sentence, かれし に / と けっこんした (My boyfriend and I got married), because marriage must be interactive.  ともだち に / を あった (I saw my friend)。※ The nuances of meeting by chance or going to meet are strong ともだち と/ を あった (I saw my friend)。※Nuances to meet after deciding where to meet こども に / を キスした (I kissed my kid)。※ This describes action taken from you to some one かれし と/ に キスした(I kissed my boyfriend)  ※This describes an interactive action ほん に / を よむ (I will read a book)。　Direct Object

 

5. Notion of Per

いちにち　に　3かい、ごはん　を　たべる (I have a meal three times per day)

  

Conclusion of particle に 

Functions	Example	Translation	Interchangeable Particles
Location of Existence	にほん　に　すむ	I live in Japan
Direction	にほん　に　いく	I go to Japan	へ
Destination	にほん　に　いく	I go to Japan	へ、*まで (not always)
Result of Change	せんせい　に　なる	I become a teacher	と
Target (Indirect Object)	ともだち　に　あう	I meet a friend	と
Source	ともだち　に　もらう	I get it from a friend	から
Specific Time	10じ　に　ねる	I sleep at 10
Notion of Per	１っしゅうかん　に　 ５かい　はたらく	I work 5 times a week

 

In this article, we have gone over each function in detail. You do not have to memorize all of them right away, but learning the functions allows you to easily identify the proper particle. Therefore, when you need clarification, just return to this article, and review them.

Exercises 

に、で