By ProDev Teach | Updated May 2025
📘 Meaning & Usage
The particle に is used to indicate various roles in a sentence such as direction, time, location (with existence verbs), and the indirect object of an action.
Main Functions:
- Indicates destination/direction: to
- Indicates time: at / on / in
- Indicates indirect object: to someone
- Indicates existence: in / at (used with いる and ある)
💡 Example Sentences
1. Direction / Destination
- がっこうに いきます。
I go to school. - ともだちの いえに いきました。
I went to my friend’s house.
2. Time
- ごご３じに あいましょう。
Let’s meet at 3 PM. - まいにち ７じに おきます。
I wake up at 7 o’clock every day.
3. Indirect Object
- かれに プレゼントを あげました。
I gave him a present. - せんせいに しつもんを しました。
I asked the teacher a question.
4. Existence (いる・ある)
- へやに ねこが います。
There is a cat in the room. - つくえの うえに ほんが あります。
There is a book on the desk.
📝 Grammar Notes
- に is used with specific time (e.g., 3 PM, Monday, July, etc.).
- Don’t use に with relative time words like “きのう” (yesterday) or “あした” (tomorrow).
- To describe a place where something exists, use に with いる (for living things) or ある (for non-living things).
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blanks with に
- ７じ ___ おきます。
- がっこう ___ いきます。
- つくえの うえ ___ でんわが あります。
- かのじょ ___ でんわを かけました。
✔ Answers:
- に
- に
- に
- に
2. Translate into Japanese
- There is a dog in the garden.
- I gave a book to the child.
- I will go to Tokyo next week.
✔ Sample Answers:
- にわに いぬが います。
- こどもに ほんを あげました。
- らいしゅう、とうきょうに いきます。
📚 Vocabulary List
- がっこう（学校） – school
- ともだち（友だち） – friend
- いえ（家） – house
- あげる – to give
- しつもん（質問） – question
- へや（部屋） – room
- ねこ（猫） – cat
- つくえ（机） – desk
- ほん（本） – book
- にわ（庭） – garden
🈷 Kanji List
- 学（がく） – learning
- 友（とも） – friend
- 家（いえ） – house
- 時（じ） – time, hour
- 間（かん・あいだ） – time/interval
- 本（ほん） – book
- 部屋（へや） – room
- 猫（ねこ） – cat
- 机（つくえ） – desk
🔗 Related Grammar
- へ – similar to に, but focuses only on direction
- で – indicates place of action
- を – direct object marker
🧠 Summary
- Meaning: at, in, to, for (depends on context)
- Usage: direction, time, existence, indirect object
- Level: JLPT N5
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I’m a software engineer based in Japan, with experience in developing web and mobile applications. I’m passionate about technology, especially in DevOps, AI, and app development using platforms like AWS, Flutter, and Node.js. My goal is to build a website that shares knowledge about the Japanese language and IT, helping everyone learn and grow more easily in the digital era.
