に (ni) — Target, Time, and Existence Location
Marks a targeted point. This covers (1) destination of movement, (2) a specific point in time, (3) the indirect object (to/for whom), (4) the exact location where something exists, and (5) the purpose of movement.
Structure
[Target] に [Verb]
Examples
日曜日に学校に行きます。
Nichiyoubi ni gakkou ni ikimasu.
I go to school on Sunday.
日曜日 (Sunday) + に (specific time); 学校 (school) + に (destination)
友達にプレゼントをあげます。
Tomodachi ni purezento o agemasu.
I give a present to a friend.
友達 (friend) に (to = indirect object); プレゼント (present) を (object)
机の上に本があります。
Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.
There is a book on the desk.
机の上 (on the desk) に (location of existence)
• Time Rule: Use に with ABSOLUTE time words that have numbers or fixed positions (3時に, 月曜日に, 2025年に). Do NOT use に with relative time words like 今日 (today), 明日 (tomorrow), or 毎日 (every day). • Location (に vs で): に marks WHERE something exists (with ある/いる/住む). で marks WHERE an action happens (with action verbs). • Purpose: With motion verbs (行く/来る), the ます-stem + に states purpose: 買いに行く (go to buy).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones に is tested against.
vs で (location of action)
に marks the point where something exists or arrives (学校にいる, 学校に行く); で marks the place where an active event occurs (学校で勉強する).
vs へ (direction)
に and へ overlap for movement, but に emphasizes the destination/arrival point while へ emphasizes the direction headed. に also has many non-movement uses (time, existence, indirect object) that へ lacks.
vs を (departure)
For time and arrival に is used; but the place you leave FROM with 出る/降りる is marked with を (or から), not に: 電車を降りる, not 電車に降りる.
More particles
- が (ga) — Subject Marker & Exhaustive Listing
- を (o) — Direct Object & Traversal
- で (de) — Context of Action (Location, Means, Condition)
- と (to) — And (Exhaustive), With, and Quotation
- か (ka) — Question, Or, and Uncertain Identity
- の (no) — Possession, Modification, & Nominalization
- も (mo) — Also, Too, Both/And, Emphasized Quantity
- から (kara) — Starting Point, Origin, & Reason
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