particle N5 essential casualpolitewritten
に — every role of the particle に
に
Meaning
- to / at / in / by — に is one of Japanese's busiest particles; this overview maps its main roles and links to each in depth
Key sentence
七時に駅に着いて、友だちに会った。
I arrived at the station at seven and met a friend.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + に | 東京に / 三時に / 友だちに |
Examples
九時に会議が始まる。
The meeting starts at nine. (point in time)
東京に住んでいる。
I live in Tokyo. (location of existence)
先生にプレゼントをあげた。
I gave the teacher a present. (recipient)
氷が水になった。
The ice turned into water. (result of a change)
本を買いに行く。
I'm going to buy a book. (purpose)
Easily confused with
destination / location / time The three core uses — arrival point (学校に行く), where something exists (部屋にいる), and a specific time (七時に). Taught in full there. indirect object に also marks the recipient or target of an action — 友だちに渡す (hand it to a friend). で に marks where something statically exists (公園にいる); で marks where an action happens (公園で遊ぶ).
Notes
- に carries more roles than one page can teach in depth — destination, existence, time, recipient, result of change, purpose, and the agent in a passive sentence. Use this overview to pinpoint the role you mean, then follow the link to its dedicated page.
See に in real sentences
Jengo shows に the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.