# で

| で | U+3067, &#12391; HIRAGANA LETTER DE |
| Composition: | て [U+3066] + ◌゙ [U+3099] |
| ← て [U+3066] | Hiragana | と → [U+3068] |

## Japanese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [de̞]

### Etymology 1

The hiragana character て (te) with a dakuten (゛).

#### Syllable

で • (de)
* The hiragana syllable で (de). Its equivalent in katakana is デ (de).

##### See also

* (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

### Etymology 2

Originally a contraction of にて (nite), later treated as a conjugation of the copula だ (da).

#### Particle

で • (de)
* at: indicating a location at which something happens
    ここで休(やす)みたい。
       Koko de yasumitai.
       I want to rest in here (at this location).
* with, by, using: indicating the means by or with which something happens
    筆(ふで)ペンで書(か)く
       fudepen de kaku
       to write with a brush pen
    自(じ)転(てん)車(しゃ)で行(い)きましょう。
       Jitensha de ikimashō.
       Let's go by bicycle.
* (Can we verify this sense?) in: indicating the containing by something
    白(しろ)水(みず)着(ぎ)で泳(およ)いでみた
       Shiromizugi de oyoidemita
       I tried to swim in white swimsuit

##### Alternative forms

* (formal) にて (nite)
* (informal, playful) de (de)

#### Adverb

で • (de)
* (informal) indicating the following sentence is a consequence of something previously stated: and then; therefore
    で？
       De?
       So what?
    で？どうする？
       De? Dō suru?
       Well? What will you do?
    で、オリンピックやめませんか？
       De, Orinpikku yamemasen ka?
       Then, should we just give up the Olympic Games?

#### Verb

で • (de)
* is/am/are ... and: the て-form or conjunctive form of だ (da)
    これは本(ほん)で、とても面(おも)白(しろ)いです。
       Kore wa hon de, totemo omoshiroi desu.
       This is a book, and it is very interesting.

#### See also

| | | | Verbs | -i adjectives | nouns and -na adjectives |
| Nonpast | Plain | Affirmative | Use the dictionary form | stem + い (-i) | noun + だ (da) (noun + である (de aru)) |
| Nonpast | Plain | Negative | mizenkei + ない (-nai) | stem + くない (-ku nai) | noun + で（は）ない (de [wa] nai) |
| Nonpast | Polite | Affirmative | ren'yōkei + ます (-masu) | stem + いです (-i desu) | noun + です (desu) |
| Nonpast | Polite | Negative | ren'yōkei + ません (-masen) | stem + くないです (-ku nai desu) stem + くありません (-ku arimasen) | noun + で（は）ないです (de [wa] nai desu) noun + で（は）ありません (de [wa] arimasen) |
| Past | Plain | Affirmative | ren'yōkei (with onbin sound changes for Group I verbs) + た (-ta) | stem + かった (-katta) | noun + だった (datta) (noun + であった (de atta)) |
| Past | Plain | Negative | mizenkei + なかった (-nakatta) | stem + くなかった (-ku nakatta) | noun + で（は）なかった (de [wa] nakatta) |
| Past | Polite | Affirmative | ren'yōkei + ました (-mashita) | stem + かったです (-katta desu) | noun + でした (deshita) |
| Past | Polite | Negative | ren'yōkei + ませんでした (-masen deshita) | stem + くなかったです (-ku nakatta desu) stem + くありませんでした (-ku arimasen deshita) | noun + で（は）なかったです (de [wa] nakatta desu) noun + で（は）ありませんでした (de [wa] arimasen deshita) |
| Volitional | Plain | Plain | mizenkei (of Group I verbs) + う (-u > -o) mizenkei (of other verbs) + よう (-yō) | †stem + かろう (-karō) (stem + いだろう (-i darō)) | noun + だろう (darō) (noun + であろう (de arō)) |
| Volitional | Polite | Polite | ren'yōkei + ましょう (-mashō) | (stem + いでしょう (-i deshō)) | noun + でしょう (deshō) |
| Conjunctive | Conjunctive | Conjunctive | ren'yōkei (with onbin sound changes for Group I verbs) + て (-te) | stem + くて (-kute) | noun + で (de) (noun + であって (de atte)) |
| Hypothetical conditional | Hypothetical conditional | Hypothetical conditional | kateikei + ば (-ba) | stem + ければ (-kereba) | (noun + であれば (de areba)) |

### Etymology 3

Considered to be a contraction of にて (nite), where the ni is the continuative form of the negative auxiliary ず (zu). In use since Early Middle Japanese, and first attested in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter of the late 800s.

#### Suffix

で • (-de)
* [from late 800s] (Classical Japanese, archaic) Attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”) of verbs to form the negative conjunctive, equivalent to the modern ないで (-naide) or ずに (-zuni).

### Etymology 4

Corrupted from ぜ (ze, sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis).

#### Particle

で • (de)
* (dialectal, chiefly Kansai) sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis
    そないな事(こと)したらあかんで。
       Sonai na koto shitara akan de.
       You shouldn't do things like that.

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ “で”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006