sensushi
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に details

に

に — the point something sits at, moves to, or is handed to

財布さいふはかばんの中なかにありますよ。

saifu wa kaban no naka ni arimasu yo.

Your wallet is in the bag. neutral

来週らいしゅう、京都きょうとに行いきます。

raishuu, kyouto ni ikimasu.

I'm going to Kyoto next week. neutral

Examples

where something is — ある, いる, 住[す]む, 置[お]く and other verbs of location take に for the place occupied

財布さいふはかばんの中なかにありますよ。

saifu wa kaban no naka ni arimasu yo.

Your wallet is in the bag. neutral

あ、猫ねこが屋根やねの上うえにいる。

a, neko ga yane no ue ni iru.

Oh — there's a cat on the roof. casual

where something goes — the destination of 行[い]く, 来[く]る, 入[はい]る, 着[つ]く and 乗[の]る

来週らいしゅう、京都きょうとに行いきます。

raishuu, kyouto ni ikimasu.

I'm going to Kyoto next week. neutral

明日あすの十時じゅうじに御社おんしゃに伺うかがいます。

asu no juuji ni onsha ni ukagaimasu.

I'll call on your office at ten tomorrow. formal

when — に pins an event to a clock time or a calendar date

会議かいぎは月曜日げつようびの三時さんじに始はじまります。

kaigi wa getsuyoubi no sanji ni hajimarimasu.

The meeting starts at three on Monday. neutral

明日あした、六時ろくじに駅えきでね。

ashita, rokuji ni eki de ne.

Six o'clock at the station tomorrow, then. casual

the other party — に marks who an action is aimed at, and with もらう, 借[か]りる and 習[なら]う the same に marks who it came from

先生せんせいにお礼れいのメールを送おくりました。

sensei ni orei no meeru o okurimashita.

I sent the teacher a thank-you email. neutral

この辞書じしょは友ともだちに借かりました。

kono jisho wa tomodachi ni karimashita.

I borrowed this dictionary from a friend. neutral

弟おとうとに自転車じてんしゃ貸かしちゃった。

otouto ni jitensha kashichatta.

I went and lent my brother my bike. casual

Formation

Notes

に pins a point on a clock or a calendar, so 三時さんじに and 月曜日げつようびに
are ordinary while the relative time words reject it — 明日あした, 今日きょう and
昨日きのう stand bare.

Related patterns

Similar

  • で

    The verb picks, not the noun — に names where something IS or ends up (東京とうきょうに住すむ, 机つくえの上うえに置おく), で where an action is carried out (東京とうきょうで働はたらく), so the same 東京とうきょう takes either depending on what follows it.

  • へ

    Interchangeable on a verb of motion or transfer — 京都きょうとへ行いく and 京都きょうとに行いく are both ordinary — because へ names the direction taken and に the point reached; where に names a point, a time or the second argument a verb requires, へ is out (三時さんじに, 先生せんせいに会あう, 家いえにいる), and even arrival leans に (駅えきに着つく).

  • を

    Motion verbs split the pair by role — を marks the ground crossed or left (橋はしを渡わたる, 電車でんしゃを降おりる), に the point reached or boarded (駅えきに着つく, 電車でんしゃに乗のる) — and 会あう, 触さわる and 似にる reject を outright and take に instead, however transitive their English looks.

Lookalikes

  • られる（受身）

    The same 先生せんせいに changes role with the voice of the verb — 先生せんせいに頼たのみました is "I asked the teacher", 先生せんせいに頼たのまれました is "the teacher asked me"; only the れる／られる tail says which に you are reading.

Combines with

  • に行く

    〜に行いく is this に on a purpose rather than a place, and the slot before it takes either a ます-stem or an action noun (買かいに行いく, 買かい物ものに行いく) — a plain dictionary form there is out.