Hello everyone, I am often asked about Japanese auxiliary words, what does "には" mean, and is it really an emphasis? What exactly is it emphasizing?
In fact, "には" has various meanings besides "emphasis"! Today’s article is to tell you Japanese learners about various common usages of "には".
Depending on the situation, the meaning and usage of "には" are completely different. In short, it can never be solved with a single "emphasis".
So let's first take a look at how the common "には" comes from in the learning courses of N4～N5.
This is the most common usage of "AにはB" when learning a Japanese elementary course.
When you are a beginner, you may often see these 3 usages:
01
Theme
Examples:
- 私には子供がいます。(Explain to "私に", what happened to "私", what happened, what do I have...)
- 田中さんには话しました。(A commentary on "田中", what did "this person Tanaka" do, what did Tanaka say...)
02
Evaluation
Examples:
- 私には仕事が大変です。＝私にとっては仕事が大変です。
"には" here is a combination of "target particle に" + "topic description は", Since "に" = "にとって", so, "には" = "にとっては".
Both sentences are the explanation of "仕事が大変です" for the part of "私に". This is the usage of "evaluation" that some teachers talk about.
03
Comparison
It should be noted that "は" has two meanings, one is "theme commentary" and the other is "contrast", so sometimes "には" can also be used as "contrast".
Examples:
- 僕にはわかっています。 ("contrast"→I understand, others don't)
- ここにはありません。 ("contrast"→not here, but elsewhere)
When you learn into the middle level, you will often see the usage:
Examples
- いい男になる「には」、自分の女を大切にしなければなりません。 (To be a good man, you should treat your own women first)
- 日本語を上手にする「には」、いい先生の指導が必要です。 (To make Japanese stronger, you need the guidance of a powerful teacher)
The usage of "AにはB" here is used to mean "If you want A, if you want A~, you should B, you must B", the part of A will be the "prototype of the verb", and the part of B is usually "なければなりません、不可欠です、必要です" and other words, this is a very useful problem-solving technique.