A couple weeks ago, a volcano in Japan erupted.
This eruption is a tragedy because there are many victims. At the same time, I
realized again that the earth is a living thing. Japan
has 110 active volcanoes and its highest mountain, Mt. Fuji, is one of them. An
active volcano is one that has erupted within the past 10,000 years. The time
we have lived is nothing more than one fleeting moment compared to the history
of the earth. By the way, Mt. Fuji last erupted in 1707.
It is rather boring to talk
about details of Japanese grammar after having a topic as big as the grand history of the earth, but I’d like to discuss the word “deru” (出る) today.
The kanji “出” is familiar even to non-Japanese because you often see signs
with “出口” on them at stations. “出” means “out” and “出口” (out mouth) means “exit”. This is an easy example of kanji
words.
The verb for this kanji is “deru”.
- Uchi o hachi ji ni deru. (I leave my house at 8).
- Densha wa nanji ni eki o deru? (What time is the train
leaving?)
Meaning: to go away from a
place, leave a place and go somewhere else
The point is, you should use を(o) when you
leave places, such as uchi o , eki o. This を indicates the starting location.
Then, what is the meaning of following
examples?
- Kare wa ashita no shiai ni deru.
- Kaigi ni deru.
- Denwa ni deru.
“Shiai ni deru” is not the
same as “shiai kara deru” (leave a game). This is actually “play in a game”. The
meaning of “deru” here is basically the opposite of its meaning in “uchi o deru”
from earlier, isn’t it?
The meaning of “deru” changes
depending on whether or you use “ni” or “o”.
Meaning: to go to a specific place to do something
- Shiai ni deru: to go to a game in order to participate in it.
- Kaigi ni deru: to attend a meeting
- Denwa ni deru: to answer the telephone
When you use “deru”, think carefully
about whether to use “o” or “ni”.