Particles に, へ, and で

In This Unit

The particle に marks a point in time, a destination, the location of existence, and a recipient. The particle へ marks direction. The particle で marks the place where an action takes place, the means, the language used, and the range. After completing this unit, you will be able to choose whether に or で belongs in a given position, and you will be able to distinguish time words that do not take a following に. The example sentences in this unit show verbs in the dictionary form. Verb conjugation is covered in Units 24 and 31.

Particle に for Time Point, Destination, Location of Existence, and Recipient

The particle に has a wide range of uses. It follows words that fix a point in time, such as hours and days of the week, and indicates 'when.' When it follows the destination of 行く (to go), it marks the place where the movement arrives. When it follows a place where a person or thing exists, it marks the location of existence. With verbs directed toward another party, such as 話す and 会う, it follows the other party and marks the recipient.

The に that marks the location of existence is used together with いる. The polite conjugation of this verb and its distinction from あります are covered in Unit 22. Unlike the に of time point, the に of destination does not indicate the place where an action is performed. It indicates the place that the movement reaches.

Particle へ for Direction

The particle へ indicates the direction of movement together with motion verbs. Before 行く, it can often be replaced with に, but へ focuses on the direction toward the destination rather than on the destination itself. The particle へ is written as へ and read as [e]. Because へ marks only direction, it is not used to express a time point or a recipient.

Particle で for Place of Action, Means, Language Used, and Range

The particle で, placed before an action verb, indicates the place where that action takes place. Placed before a motion verb, it indicates the means used for the movement. It also indicates the language used when speaking and the number or range of people.