By mid-N5, に and で will start giving you headaches. Both relate to "location," but they mean completely different things. The good news: there's only one rule to remember.
The Core Rule
に = location of existence (someone/something is there) で = location of action (someone does something there)
That's it. If the sentence says "someone exists somewhere," use に. If it says "someone does something somewhere," use で.
に + います／あります: Static Existence
います is for living things (people, animals), あります is for non-living things (objects). Both use に for the location of existence.
| Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 先生はお手洗いにいます。 | The teacher is in the restroom. | person → います |
| 先生は公園にいます。 | The teacher is in the park. | person → います |
| 新聞は私の机の上にあります。 | The newspaper is on my desk. | object → あります |
| 本は教室にあります。 | The book is in the classroom. | object → あります |
Sentence Patterns
- place に person/animal が います → There is someone/an animal at [place]
- place に thing が あります → There is something at [place]
- person/thing は place に います／あります → The person/thing is at [place]
Word order can change — when the subject is marked with は it comes first, when marked with が it comes after the location. Same meaning, different nuance.
で + Verb: Dynamic Action
Doing something at a place — eating, studying, working — the location takes で:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 先生は公園で食べます。 | The teacher eats in the park. |
| 中国人は箸でご飯を食べます。 | Chinese people eat rice with chopsticks. |
| 昨日、三時間ぐらい日本語を勉強しました。 | Yesterday I studied Japanese for about three hours. |
Wait — the second sentence uses で for "chopsticks," not a place? Correct. で also marks tools/means (using something), but the core logic is the same: で always pairs with actions.
Same Place, Completely Different Meaning
Compare these two:
| Japanese | English | Particle meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先生は公園にいます。 | The teacher is in the park. | に = location of existence |
| 先生は公園で食べます。 | The teacher eats in the park. | で = location of action |
The first sentence only says the teacher is there (existence). The second says what the teacher does there (action).
Quick test: Is the verb います/あります? → Use に. Is the verb eat/drink/study/write/work...? → Use で.
へ and に for Direction/Destination
When expressing "going somewhere," both へ and に work:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 先生は公園へ行きます。 | The teacher goes to the park. |
| 先生は公園に行きます。 | The teacher goes to the park. |
Subtle difference: へ emphasizes direction (heading that way), に emphasizes destination (arriving there). In everyday conversation, they're interchangeable.
から and まで: Start and End Points
Two more location particles worth noting:
| Particle | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| から | from (starting point) | 東京から来ました。 (I came from Tokyo.) |
| まで | to/until (end point) | 駅まで歩きます。 (I'll walk to the station.) |
N5 Location Particle Summary
| Particle | Function | Pairs with |
|---|---|---|
| に | location of existence | います/あります |
| に | destination | 行きます/来ます/帰ります |
| で | location of action | 食べます/勉強します/働きます... |
| で | means/tool | 箸で/バスで... |
| へ | direction | 行きます/来ます |
| から | starting point | 来ました/出ます |
| まで | end point | 行きます/歩きます |
Wrap-Up
- に = existence (static): 公園にいます = is in the park
- で = action (dynamic): 公園で食べます = eats in the park
- います (living things) / あります (non-living things), both take に
- Going somewhere: へ (direction) and に (destination) are interchangeable
- で also marks means/tools: 箸で食べます = eat with chopsticks
Practice
Q1. Fill in the particle: 「本は机の上＿あります。」
Show Answer
本は机の上にあります。
あります is an existence verb, so the location takes に.
Q2. Fill in the particle: 「先生は教室＿勉強します。」
Show Answer
先生は教室で勉強します。
勉強します is an action verb, so the location takes で.
Q3. What's the difference between 「先生は食堂にいます」 and 「先生は食堂で食べます」?
Show Answer
- 食堂にいます = The teacher is in the cafeteria (only states location, no action mentioned)
- 食堂で食べます = The teacher eats in the cafeteria (emphasizes the action taking place there)
に is for existence, で is for action.