A snowy ski lift in Hokkaido

Activities: How do you use the particle で (de) in Japanese?

By: Aya Nishioka
Associated Articles

These activities are part of our Japanese Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Activity 1: Identify the function of で [de]

Read the following sentences and choose the most appropriate function that the particle で[de] has for each sentence.

  • 公園でピクニックをします。

    Kouen de pikunikku o shimasu.

    We will go on a picnic at the park.

    Function of で:

  • えんぴつで漢字を書く練習をしてください。

    Enpitsu de kanji o kaku renshuu o shite kudasai.

    Please practice writing kanji with a pencil.

    Function of で:

  • 日本でおいしいすしを食べたい。

    Nihon de oishii sushi o tabetai.

    I want to eat delicious sushi in Japan.

    Function of で:

  • 日本から韓国まで飛行機で2時間だ。

    Nihon kara Kankoku made hikouki de ni jikan da.

    It takes two hours from Japan to Korea by plane.

    Function of で:

  • 質問があったら、メールで連絡してくださいね。

    Shitsumon ga attara meeru de renraku shite kudasai ne.

    Please contact me via email when you have a question.

    Function of で:

  • この机は木でできている。

    Kono tsukue wa ki de dekiteiru.

    This desk is made out of wood.

    Function of で:

  • 三人で家を借ります。

    San nin de ie o karimasu.

    Rent a room with three people.

    Function of で:

  • 毎日会社まで電車で行く。

    Mainichi kaisha made densha de iku.

    I go to work by train everyday.

    Function of で:

  • あと３日で夏休みが終わる。

    Ato mikka de natsuyasumi ga owaru.

    Summer vacation will end in three days.

    Function of で:

  • 日本で一番高い山は富士山だ。

    Nihon de ichiban takai yama wa Fujisan da.

    Among the mountains in Japan, Mt. Fuji is the highest.

    Function of で:

Activity 2: Rearrange the words

Use the banked words to translate each English sentence into Japanese. More than one answer may be possible!

  • "I study with my friend at the library."

    図書館 [toshokan]
    友達 [tomodachi]
    勉強する [benkyō suru]
    と [to]
    で [de]

    • 。

  • "I go to school by bicycle every day."

    毎日 [mainichi]
    学校 [gakkō]
    自転車 [jitensha]
    行きます [iki masu]
    で [de]
    まで [made]

    • 。

  • "Three peaches for 500 yen."

    ５００円 [gohyaku en]
    桃 [momo]
    ３個 [sanko]
    は [wa]
    で [de]
    です [desu]

    • 。

  • "I read a Japanese novel."

    読みます [yomi masu]
    小説 [shōsetsu]
    日本語 [nihongo]
    を [o]
    で [de]

    • 。

  • "Among all music, my favorite is pop music."

    音楽 [ongaku]
    好きな [suki na]
    ポップミュージック [poppumyūjikku]
    の [no]
    は [wa]
    で [de]
    だよ [dayo]

    • 。

  • "The class will end at 3."

    ３時 [san ji]
    終わります [owari masu]
    授業 [jugyō]
    が [ga]
    で [de]

    • 。

  • "I make cookies from flour and sugar."

    クッキー [kukkī]
    小麦粉 [komugiko]
    砂糖 [satō]
    作ります [tsukuri masu]
    を [o]
    と [to]
    で [de]

    • 。

  • "Vincent van Gogh is a world-famous artist." (literally: "...a famous artist in the world.")

    有名な [yūmei na]
    アーティスト [ātisuto]
    世界 [sekai]
    ゴッホ [Gohho]
    で [de]
    は [wa]
    だ [da]

    • 。

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

Ready to take the next step?

The Mango Languages learning platform is designed to get you speaking like a local quickly and easily.

Mango app open on multiple devices
Log InSign Up