に Particle (Time)

に Particle (Time) Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Particle

Essential Meaning: At (X time) / On (X day) / In (X month)

Construction: 

• Time Expression + に
  • E.g. 3時じに [At 3 o’clock]
  • E.g. 月曜日げつようびに [On Monday]
  • E.g. 一月いちがつに [In January]

Notes:

• に (Time) is used wth specific time expressions that can be expressed numerically, such as particular dates (e.g. クリスマス [Christmas]), days of the week (e.g. 月曜日げつようび [Monday]), years (e.g. 令れい和わ二に年ねん [Reiwa Year 2]), and times of the day [e.g. 3時じ [3 o’clock], etc.) に (Time) is not used with time expressions that are defined relative the current moment (e.g. 朝あさ [Morning], 今日きょう [Today], 明日あした [Tomorrow], 昨日きのう [Yesterday], 来年らいねん [Next year], 一昨日おととい [The day before yesterday], et cetera). Days of the week are acceptable because they can be expressed in an immutable numerical order (i.e. Sunday is the 1st day of the week, Monday is the 2nd, etc.).

• に (Time) can optionally be used with time nouns such as the seasons (i.e. 春はる [Spring], 冬ふゆ [Winter], 秋あき [Autumn], 夏なつ [Summer]) as well as with ごろ, 時とき, and 間あいだ(に) in order to emphasize the point in time at which something takes place. An example of this usage is the expression間あいだ (に). Without に (Time), the event in the main clause continues throughout the duration of the 間あいだ clause, and with に (Time), the action in the main clause occurs somewhere within the time span of the 間あいだ clause.
  • E.g. 子供こどもが学校がっこうに行いっている間あいだ手紙てがみを書かいていた。[Throughout the time that the kids were at school, I was writing a letter.] The lack of に (Time) indicates that the time periods of the kids being at school and writing the letter coincide totally
  • E.g. 子供こどもが学校がっこうに行いっている間あいだに手紙てがみを書かいていた。[At some point while the kids were at school, I was writing a letter.] The に (Time) particle indicates that writing the letter occurs at some point within the period of the kids being at school, but does not occupy that full period of time.
  • E.g. 今朝けさ5時じ半はんごろ(に)おきました。[I got up around 5 AM this morning.]
  • E.g. 春はる (に)結婚けっこんします。[I’m getting married in the spring.]

Example Sentences:

私わたしは毎朝まいあさ六時半ろくじはんに起おきる。[I wake up every day at 6:30.]

私わたしは四月しがつ一日ついたちに生うまれました。[I was born on April 1st.]

来年らいねんの夏なつ(に)外国がいこく旅行りょこうをするつもりです。[Next summer, I plan to travel abroad.]

田中たなかは大学だいがくにいる時とき(に)今いまの奥おくさんと出会であった。[While Tanaka-san was in university, he met his present wife.]

WILD Examples:

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