A place can take either で or に. Look at its role in the sentence, not the place name alone.
The idea
Use で for the place where an activity happens: 学校で勉強します. Use に for the location of a person or thing with います or あります, and for the destination of 行きます or 来ます. A destination can also take へ, which emphasizes direction.
| Phrase | Continuation |
|---|---|
| 公園で | 遊びます |
| 公園に | 猫がいます |
| 駅に | 行きます |
Examples
- 私は家でお茶を飲みます。I drink tea at home.
- 学校で日本語を勉強します。I study Japanese at school.
- 図書館で本を読みます。I read books at the library.
- 公園に猫がいます。There is a cat in the park.
- 机の上に本があります。There is a book on the desk.
- 駅に行きます。I go to the station.
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Watch out
The same park can be 公園で when someone plays there and 公園に when a cat is there. When あります means that an event takes place, its venue takes で, not the に of physical existence.
Try it yourself
学校＿日本語を勉強します。（で／に）
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で
で marks school as the location of studying.
図書館＿本があります。（で／に）
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に
に marks the library as the place where the books exist.
駅＿行きます。（で／に）
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に
に marks the station as the destination of going.
公園＿遊びます。（で／に）
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で
で marks the park as the place where playing happens.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
学校＿日本語を勉強します。（で／に）
図書館＿本があります。（で／に）
駅＿行きます。（で／に）
公園＿遊びます。（で／に）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe an activity and a person or object in the same place. Then say where you are going, and explain each particle.