でAt, In

Structure

Place + で

Details

Part of Speech
Particle
Word Type
Case Marking Particle
Register
Standard

About で

で is a particle that has several different uses in Japanese. At its core, it is always used to highlight something that is 'required' to perform some sort of action. One of these uses relates to places, and translates roughly as 'at', or 'in' in English.

In these sentences, the place is considered essential for the action to be performed, or the result of the action to be achieved. This is unlike the particle に, which marks the location itself as being the destination or target of an action. Basically, で means (A) 'place' allows (B) 'action' to occur. While に means (A) 'place' is the target for (B) 'action' occurring.

In the first example, we can see that に marks the place that the person exists during an action, but the action itself is not dependent on the place. In the second example, the action is considered dependent on being at that place, as there are possibly no barbeques in other areas.

Examples

--:--

そこで寝(ね)る。

I sleep (at) there.

ホテルで寝(ね)る。

To sleep at the hotel.

ここで曲(ま)がります。

To turn (at) here.

私(わたし)はここでサッカーをする。

I play soccer (at) here.

そこで泳(およ)ぎますか。

Will you swim (at) there?

Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Try Bunpro

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

Try Bunpro

Online
- Particles at / in / with に / で / と
  Japanese Ammo
- The contextual 「で」 particle
  Tae Kim
- The particle 「で」
  PuniPuni
- The particle で
  Imabi

Offline
- [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
  Page 105
- Genki I
  Page 60
- Genki I 2nd Edition
  Page 90
- Marugoto Elementary 1 (A2) Rikai
  Page 26
- Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
  Page 58
- みんなの日本語 I
  Page 44 [CH 6]
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
Try Bunpro

で – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

Jake
at・in
Structure
- Place + で
[at ~ location]

View on Bunpro
vamshi
Can we use で as below

公園で歩く

if yes, what is the difference with 公園を歩く？
IcyIceBear
公園で歩く would mean you walk in the park

The second sounds like you put the park on a leash to walk it

Welcome to the community
vamshi
Hi, @IcyIceBear

according to this page
https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/を

公園を歩く (3rd example)
means walk through the park.
IcyIceBear
Ya never stop learning ahaha interesting!
vamshi
Hi @IcyIceBear

haha, learning never stops.

So, both mean the same. right?
Pablunpro
Hi!

There is indeed a difference in nuance, though both of them can be rendered as ‘through’ in English:
- 公園で歩く means that you walk around the park, i.e. the park is the place you ‘use’ in order to walk.
- 公園を歩く means that you traverse the park to go somewhere else, i.e. you use the park as a shortcut or the park is part of the path to your destination.
There are some topics in the community that include discussions about the nuance that を introduces when used with motion verbs.

HTH!