| Particles: De | |
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What are particles?
Particles are probably one of the most difficult and confusing aspects of Japanese sentences. A particle (joshi) is a word that shows the relationship of a word, a phrase, or a clause to the rest of the sentence. Some particles have English equivalents. Others have functions similar to English prepositions, but since they always follow the word or words they mark, they are post-positions. There are also particles that have a peculiar usage which is not found in English. Most particles are multi-functional. Click here to learn more about particles.
The Particle "De"
Place of Action
It indicates the place where an action takes place. It translates into "in", "at",
"on", and so on.
| Depaato de
kutsu o katta. デパートで靴を買った。 |
I bought
shoes at the department store. |
| Umi de
oyoida. 海で泳いだ。 |
I swam in the ocean. |
Means
It
indicates means, method, or instruments. It
translates into "by", "with", "in" "by means of",
etc.
| Basu de
gakkou ni ikimasu. バスで学校に行きます。 |
I go to school by bus. |
| Nihongo de
hanashite kudasai. 日本語で話してください。 |
Please speak in Japanese. |
Totalizing
It
is placed after a quantity, time or amount of money, and indicates an
extent.
| San-nin de
kore o tsukutta. 三人でこれを作った。 |
Three of us made this. |
| Zenbu de
sen-en desu. 全部で千円です。 |
They cost 1,000 yen altogether. |
Scope
It translates into "in",
"among", "within", etc.
| Kore wa
sekai de ichiban ookii desu. これは世界で一番大きいです。 |
This is the biggest in the world. |
| Nihon de
doko ni ikitai desu ka. 日本でどこに行きたいですか。 |
Where do you
want to go in Japan? |
Time
Limit
It indicates time consumed for a certain action or
occurrence. It
translates into "in", "within", etc.
| Ichijikan
de ikemasu. 一時間で行けます。 |
We can get there in an hour. |
| Isshuukan
de dekimasu. 一週間でできます。 |
I can do it in a week. |
Material
It indicates the composition of an
object.
| Toufu wa
daizu de tsukurimasu. 豆腐は大豆で作ります。 |
Tofu is made from soybeans. |
| Kore wa
nendo de tsukutta hachi desu. これは粘土で作ったはちです。 |
This is a bowl made of clay. |
Required Cost
It
translates into "for", "at", etc.
| Kono hon o
juu-doru de katta. この本を十ドルで買った。 |
I bought this book for ten dollars. |
| Kore wa
ikura de okuremasu ka. これはいくらで送れますか。 |
How much
would it cost to send this? |
Cause
It indicates a casual reason or
motive for an action or occurrence. It
translates into "due to", "because of", "owing
to", etc.
| Kaze de
gakkou o yasunda. 風邪で学校を休んだ。 |
I was absent
from school due to a cold. |
| Fuchuui de
kaidan kara ochita. 不注意で階段から落ちた。 |
I fell down
the stairs due to carelessness. |
