At a glance
The particle で marks where an action happens and the means used to do it: a tool, transport, or language. It can also mark material, cause, and a total or limit.
[Place] で [Action verb]
[Means / Tool] で [Verb]
電車で学校に行きます。 I go to school by train.
How to form it
で comes right after a noun.
| Use | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Place of an action | 駅で友達に会います。 | I meet a friend at the station. |
| Tool | はしで食べます。 | I eat with chopsticks. |
| Transport | バスで行きます。 | I go by bus. |
| Language | 日本語で話します。 | I speak in Japanese. |
| Material | 木で机を作りました。 | I made a desk out of wood. |
| Cause | 病気で休みました。 | I was absent because of illness. |
| Total or limit | 全部で千円です。 | It's 1,000 yen in total. |
| Number of people | 三人で行きます。 | The three of us will go. |