でat; by; with; in; because of
で fills in how something gets done: where, with what, by how many people, in how long, because of what. English needs a different word for each.
because of what
The trains stopped because of the typhoon.
How to form it
Noun + で
A number with its counter works too: 三人で, 五分で. To ask: どこで (where), 何で (with what), 何人で (how many of you).
Which で is it?
The word before で tells you.
| Before で | It tells you | Like this |
|---|---|---|
| A place: 学校, 公園, どこ | Where it happens | 学校で |
| A tool, a vehicle, a language | What you use | バスで |
| A material | What it's made of | 紙で |
| People: 一人, 三人, みんな, 自分 | Who does it | 三人で |
| A length of time, a price | What it takes | 五分で |
| 全部, or things added up | The total | 全部で |
| A group to pick from | Best or most out of what | クラスで |
| Weather, an illness, an accident | The cause | 雨で |
| 仕事, 旅行, 出張 | What the trip is for | 仕事で |
Where it happens
I eat breakfast in the kitchen every morning.
I buy vegetables at this store.
Where do you study?
I study at the library.
A concert, an exam or an accident takes place somewhere too, and that place takes で, even when the verb is ある.
There will be a concert at the civic hall next week.
An accident occurred near the station.
A party, a meeting or a class works as the place too.
We met at a friend's party.
に or で for a place?
で is where something is done or takes place. に is where something is, or where it ends up. English says "in" and "at" for both.
There is an exam in the classroom.
An exam takes place there.
There is a clock in the classroom.
A clock is there.
So living, staying the night and being employed somewhere all take に: 住む, 泊まる, 勤める. So does sitting down, 座る: the seat is where you end up.
Not said: 東京で
(I live in Tokyo.)
住む takes に: 東京に住んでいます.
Please sit here.
The seat is where you end up, so に.
Please wait here.
Waiting is what you do there, so で.
What you use
A tool, a vehicle, a language, a way of paying, a screen. English moves between "with", "by", "in" and "on".
I eat rice with chopsticks.
I go to the station by bus.
What do you call this in Japanese?
Can I pay by card?
I saw that news on TV.
What it's made of
What something is made of takes で as well, whether you are making it or describing it.
My father made a bookshelf out of wood.
Let's make a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers.
This desk is made of wood.
What is this made of?
Who does it: 一人で, 三人で, みんなで
A head count before で is the whole group doing it, you included.
The three of us had dinner yesterday.
Let's all decide the travel plans together.
I came to Japan on my own.
と or で for "with"?
I saw a movie with a friend.
と names who you were with.
The two of us saw a movie.
で counts everyone, you too.
Both at once: 友だちと二人で, "just my friend and me".
一人で and 自分で
English "by myself" covers both.
I made this cake myself.
You didn't buy it, and nobody made it for you.
How long or how much it takes
A length of time or a sum of money before で is what it takes to get something done.
The book I ordered arrived in two days.
I bought this bag for 3,000 yen.
I'll be there in five minutes.
あと + time + で: that much longer and it's done.
English "for an hour" is another matter. When something just goes on, the time takes no particle.
I ran ten kilometers in an hour.
How long it took to get it done.
全部で: the total
How much is it altogether?
It's 2,000 yen in all.
There are two adult tickets and three child tickets, five tickets in all.
These apples are three for 500 yen.
So many for so much.
Best or most: out of what
With 一番, で marks the group you are picking from: a class, a country, the world.
Sato is the tallest in this class.
The highest mountain in Japan is Mt. Fuji.
For a kind of thing or a set of items it is usually の中で, "out of".
Which sport do you like best?
Which of these three is the cheapest?
Why it happened
Before で, the cause: weather, an illness, an accident. After it, what happened as a result.
I took three days off work because of a cold.
An old building was damaged by the earthquake.
A request or a suggestion can't follow this で. For those, the reason takes から or ので.
Not said: 雪で、
(Because of the snow, let's go home early.)
雪だから、早く帰りましょう.
で also says what a trip is for: 仕事で (for work), 旅行で (on vacation).
I'm going to Osaka for work.
When で is something else
Two other things look just like it.
My older sister is a doctor, and my older brother is a teacher.
です in the shape it takes mid-sentence: "is, and". な-adjectives join the same way: 静かで広い.
I read a book and went to bed.
The end of a verb's て-form: 読んで, 泳いで.
Close neighbours
からN5
A reason given as a full sentence, and the one that can lead to a request.
It is dangerous, so please be careful.
ため・ためにN4
The same cause on signs and in announcements: 雪のため.
The event was canceled because of the typhoon.
から when the material has changed past recognizing.
Wine is made from grapes.
Check yourself
1Which particle?
東京（ ）
Choose an answer to see why.
2"I went with Tanaka."
田中さん
Choose an answer to see why.
3"I studied for two hours."
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
Two で in one sentence
We speak Japanese in the classroom.
Where, then in what language.
では and でも
は and も go after で: 日本では (in Japan, as against elsewhere), 日本でも (in Japan too).
I don't speak Japanese at home.
何で or 何で?
何で来ましたか asks how you got here. Said as なんで, it can also mean "why did you come?", so people often say なにで.
Walking through a place
A place you move through or along takes を, where English still says "in".
I take a walk in the park every morning.
At an age
I got married at twenty-five.
How old you were when it happened.
これで
That's all from me.
今日で三年
It is three years today since I came to Japan.
The point where a count is reached.
More sentences
The children are playing in the yard.
There is a game in the gym this afternoon.
I take pictures with a smartphone.
Please open the door with this key.
Please explain it in Japanese.
I made a box out of paper.
I went shopping on my own this weekend.
If you take the express, you will reach the airport in forty minutes.
You can buy all the necessary stationery for one thousand yen.
The trains stopped because of heavy snow.
I could not sleep well last night because of the noise.