Particles Deep Dive: を, で, に, and へ

The Action Particles

If は, が, and の are about identifying things (topic, subject, possession), then を, で, に, and へ are about doing things. They answer the questions:

• を — What are you doing it to?
• で — Where or how are you doing it?
• に — Where is it? When does it happen? Where are you going?
• へ — Which direction are you headed?

These four particles connect actions to the world around them. Once you understand them, you can build almost any sentence about daily life.

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を (wo/o) — The Object Marker

What It Does

を marks the direct object — the thing that receives the action of a verb. In English, word order tells you this (I eat rice). In Japanese, を does the job.

Pronunciation note: を is written "wo" but pronounced "o" in modern Japanese. You'll hear お, not うぉ. It's the only kana used exclusively as a particle.

The Pattern

[object] を [verb]

The thing being acted on comes before を, and the verb comes after.

Examples

水を飲みます。(Mizu o nomimasu.) "I drink water."

本を読みます。(Hon o yomimasu.) "I read a book."

映画を見ます。(Eiga o mimasu.) "I watch a movie."

日本語を勉強します。(Nihongo o benkyō shimasu.) "I study Japanese."

朝ごはんを食べません。(Asagohan o tabemasen.) "I don't eat breakfast."

In every case, the word before を is the thing being drunk, read, watched, studied, or eaten. The verb tells you what's happening to it.

を With Movement Verbs

を also marks the place you pass through or leave:

公園を歩きます。(Kōen o arukimasu.) "I walk through the park."

大学を出ます。(Daigaku o demasu.) "I leave the university."

橋を渡ります。(Hashi o watarimasu.) "I cross the bridge."

This is a different use — here を doesn't mean "doing something to the park," it means moving through or out of a place. Context makes it clear.

Common Mistake

❌ 日本語が勉強します。 ✅ 日本語を勉強します。

When you're actively doing something to an object, use を, not が. (が marks the subject — who is doing the action, not what is being acted on.)

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で (de) — The Location of Action / Means

What It Does

で is a versatile particle with two main jobs:

1. Where an action takes place
2. How or by what means an action is done

Think of で as the "context" particle — it sets the scene for the action.

Job 1: Where You Do Something

[place] で [action verb]

図書館で勉強します。(Toshokan de benkyō shimasu.) "I study at the library."

レストランで食べます。(Resutoran de tabemasu.) "I eat at a restaurant."

家で映画を見ます。(Ie de eiga o mimasu.) "I watch movies at home."

学校で日本語を話します。(Gakkō de nihongo o hanashimasu.) "I speak Japanese at school."

The key idea: で marks a place where an action is happening. Someone is actively doing something there.

Job 2: By What Means

で also marks the tool, method, or means used to do something:

バスで行きます。(Basu de ikimasu.) "I go by bus."

箸で食べます。(Hashi de tabemasu.) "I eat with chopsticks."

日本語で話します。(Nihongo de hanashimasu.) "I speak in Japanese."

ペンで書きます。(Pen de kakimasu.) "I write with a pen."

In these sentences, で answers "how?" or "by what means?" — by bus, with chopsticks, in Japanese, with a pen.

Job 3: Reason

Less common at the N5 level, but で can also indicate a reason or cause:

病気で学校を休みます。(Byōki de gakkō o yasumimasu.) "I'm absent from school because of illness."

で vs に — The Big Question

This is the #1 confusion point for beginners. We'll cover it in detail after introducing に, but here's the preview:

• で = where an action happens (図書館で勉強します — studying at the library)
• に = where something exists or where you're going (図書館にいます — being at the library)

Action → で. Existence or destination → に.

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に (ni) — The Swiss Army Knife

What It Does

に is the most versatile particle in Japanese. It handles:

1. Location of existence — where something is
2. Destination — where you're going
3. Time — when something happens
4. Indirect object — to whom something is given
5. Purpose — what for

That's a lot of jobs for one little particle. Let's take them one at a time.

Job 1: Where Something Exists

Use に with existence verbs (いる for living things, ある for objects):

猫は部屋にいます。(Neko wa heya ni imasu.) "The cat is in the room."

本は机の上にあります。(Hon wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.) "The book is on the desk."

コンビニはあそこにあります。(Konbini wa asoko ni arimasu.) "The convenience store is over there."

Here, に marks a static location — where something simply exists. No action is happening, just existence.

Job 2: Destination (Where You're Going)

学校に行きます。(Gakkō ni ikimasu.) "I go to school."

日本に来ました。(Nihon ni kimashita.) "I came to Japan."

家に帰ります。(Ie ni kaerimasu.) "I go home." (lit. "I return to home.")

椅子に座ります。(Isu ni suwarimasu.) "I sit on the chair."

に marks the endpoint — the specific place you arrive at or move toward.

Job 3: Time

に marks specific points in time (clock times, days, dates, months):

七時に起きます。(Shichiji ni okimasu.) "I wake up at seven."

月曜日にテストがあります。(Getsuyōbi ni tesuto ga arimasu.) "There's a test on Monday."

三月に日本に行きます。(Sangatsu ni Nihon ni ikimasu.) "I'm going to Japan in March."

Important: Don't use に with relative time words like 今日 (kyō — today), 明日 (ashita — tomorrow), 毎日 (mainichi — every day), いつ (itsu — when). These don't need a particle:

✅ 明日行きます。(Ashita ikimasu. — "I'll go tomorrow.") ❌ 明日に行きます。

The rule: if you can point to it on a calendar or clock, use に. If it's a relative word, skip に.

Job 4: Indirect Object (To Whom)

友達に電話します。(Tomodachi ni denwa shimasu.) "I call my friend." (lit. "I phone to my friend.")

先生に聞きます。(Sensei ni kikimasu.) "I ask the teacher."

母にプレゼントをあげます。(Haha ni purezento o agemasu.) "I give a present to my mother."

に marks the recipient — the person on the receiving end of the action.

Job 5: Purpose (With Movement Verbs)

When combined with a verb stem + に + movement verb, it expresses purpose:

食べに行きます。(Tabe ni ikimasu.) "I go to eat."

映画を見に行きます。(Eiga o mi ni ikimasu.) "I go to watch a movie."

買い物しに来ました。(Kaimono shi ni kimashita.) "I came to shop."

The structure is: [verb stem] + に + [movement verb]. It answers "what did you go/come to do?"

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へ (e) — The Direction Marker

What It Does

へ marks direction — the way you're headed. It's written へ but pronounced "e" when used as a particle.

The Pattern

[destination] へ [movement verb]

日本へ行きます。(Nihon e ikimasu.) "I'm going toward Japan."

東京へ来ました。(Tōkyō e kimashita.) "I came to Tokyo."

北へ行きます。(Kita e ikimasu.) "I'm heading north."

へ vs に — What's the Difference?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: they overlap a lot. Both can mark a destination with movement verbs:

学校に行きます。= 学校へ行きます。

Both sentences mean "I go to school." In everyday conversation, they're often interchangeable for destinations.

But there is a nuance:

Think of it this way:

• 日本に行きます = "I'm going to Japan" (I will arrive in Japan)
• 日本へ行きます = "I'm heading toward Japan" (Japan is my direction)

In practice, に is far more common for destinations. へ feels slightly more literary or formal. As a beginner, using に for everything is perfectly fine. You won't sound wrong.

When Only に Works

に has all five jobs listed above. へ only handles direction. So these sentences cannot use へ:

✅ 七時に起きます。(time) ❌ 七時へ起きます。

✅ 友達に電話します。(indirect object) ❌ 友達へ電話します。

✅ 猫は部屋にいます。(existence) ❌ 猫は部屋へいます。

へ is only for direction. に does direction and much more.

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で vs に — The Full Breakdown

This is worth its own section because it trips up everyone.

The Core Difference

Side by Side

図書館で勉強します。— "I study at the library." (action happening there) 図書館にいます。— "I am at the library." (existing there)

公園で遊びます。— "I play in the park." (action) 公園に行きます。— "I go to the park." (destination)

東京で働きます。— "I work in Tokyo." (action) 東京に住んでいます。— "I live in Tokyo." (existence/state)

The Test

Ask yourself: is someone actively doing something at that place, or is something/someone just being there or going there?

• Doing something → で
• Being there or going there → に

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All Four in One Sentence

Let's see how these particles work together:

明日バスで東京に行きます。 Ashita basu de Tōkyō ni ikimasu. "Tomorrow I'll go to Tokyo by bus."

• バスで — by bus (means)
• 東京に — to Tokyo (destination)

毎日図書館で日本語を勉強します。 Mainichi toshokan de nihongo o benkyō shimasu. "Every day I study Japanese at the library."

• 図書館で — at the library (location of action)
• 日本語を — Japanese (direct object)

六時にレストランで魚を食べます。 Rokuji ni resutoran de sakana o tabemasu. "At six o'clock, I eat fish at a restaurant."

• 六時に — at six (time)
• レストランで — at the restaurant (location of action)
• 魚を — fish (direct object)

来月日本へ寿司を食べに行きます。 Raigetsu Nihon e sushi o tabe ni ikimasu. "Next month I'm going to Japan to eat sushi."

• 日本へ — toward Japan (direction)
• 寿司を — sushi (direct object)
• 食べに — to eat (purpose)

Four particles, one sentence. Each with a clear job.

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Quick Reference

Practice Sentences

Fill in the correct particle (を, で, に, or へ):

1. コーヒー＿飲みます。
2. 八時＿起きます。
3. 学校＿勉強します。
4. 本＿読みます。
5. 東京＿行きます。
6. 電車＿行きます。
7. 友達＿会います。
8. 猫は家＿います。

Answers: 1. を 2. に 3. で 4. を 5. に (or へ) 6. で 7. に 8. に

助詞の旅は続く！ (Joshi no tabi wa tsuzuku!) — The particle journey continues!