Ni Particle

Japanese particles bring meaning to the sentences. In Japanese language, the location of a particle makes a big difference in the meaning. The meaning of the sentence changes completely depending upon the occurrence of particle. Ni particle of Japanese language is one of the most parts of the Japanese grammar. It has many uses and depending upon the context its meaning changes.

Following is the list of the various uses and meanings of Japanese particle "ni":

The very first and basic use is to show location of things or people. In other words, it shows the existence of a thing or person at a particular place. E.g. :
Khaban ni enpitsu ga arimasu. (The pencil is in the bag.)
Kyoushitsu ni gakuseitachi ga imasu. (The students are in the class.)
In both the above examples "ni" particle shows the location of people and thing.
Ni particle always comes after the following list of prepositions –
- koko ni- Here
- Soko ni- There
- Asoko ni- That over there
- Naka ni- Inside
- Soto ni- Outside
- Ue ni- Above
- Shita ni- Down
- Soba ni- Nearby
- Mae ni- In front of
- Ushiro ni- Behind
- Tonari ni- Next to
The particle is used while talking about a specific date, day, time, month and year. E.g.:
Watashi wa maiasa hachiji ni okimasu. (Every morning I wake up at 8o’clock.)
In this example, the exact time is specified by ni particle.
When the verb "naru (narimasu)" is added to "ni" particle it means to become. Most of the times a noun come before "ni naru". It demonstrates the change of a person, thing or condition from one phase to another. E.g.:
Rainen John san wa ishya ni narimasu. (Next year John san will become a doctor.)
Heya wa kirei ni narimasu. (The room has become beautiful.)
Ni particle when combined with the verb "norimasu (noru)" means to get into a vehicle. It shows the vehicle in which you have got it. Hence, the name of the vehicle comes before "ni norimasu".
E.g.: Tomodachi wa hikouki ni norimashita. (My friend got in the airplane.)
Ni particle when combined with the verb "au (aimasu)" means to meet. In this case, if you are going to meet a friend then the decision will be only yours. Your friend will not be aware of the fact that you are going to meet him/ her. Following example will make the concept more clear to you-
Yamamoto san wa sensei ni aimasu. (Mr. Yamamoto will meet his teacher.)
In this case, Yamamoto has alone decided to go and meet his teacher. Whereas his teacher is unaware of this decision.
Ni particle indicates the receiver of the action. In other words, for who the action is taking place, that receiver of the action is shown by this particle.

Sensei wa gakuseitachi ni nihongo o oshiemasu. (Teacher teaches Japanese to students.)
In the above example, the action of teaching is performed for the students. Hence, the receivers are the students who are indicated by the "ni" particle.
All the above stated uses of the "ni" particle are a part of the syllabus of the N5 exam of Japanese language proficiency test (JLPT). Therefore, it is very important to know and understand them all. The meaning should be understood from the context of the sentence. Try to make some sentences of your own, which would help you strengthen you concept.