〜に: meaning and usage
Meaning
Marks where someone or something exists: in, on, or at A. 2. Marks a destination or direction: to or toward A. 3. Marks a specific time: at or on A. 4. Marks the agent of a passive verb: by A. 5. Marks the resulting state of a change: into A. 6. Marks a period used to count frequency or rate: per A. 7. Links nouns in a list: A and B. 8. Marks the purpose of movement: go, come, or return to do A. 9. Marks the target or recipient of an action: to or for A.
This point is also listed at N4 · N1.
How to form it
- nounに
- verb (masu-stem)に行く/来る
How it is used
「に」 marks a point things land on: where something is, a destination, a clock time or date, the person receiving an action, the result of a change. Where an action happens takes 「で」. Relative times like 「今日」 or 「毎日」 take no 「に」.
Examples
私の部屋に可愛い猫がいます。
There is a cute cat in my room.
毎朝七時に起きます。
I get up at seven every morning.
母に手紙を書きました。
I wrote a letter to my mother.
About the example In 私の部屋に……います, に marks the place where the cat is: “in my room.”