に

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Add に after the target contacted by an action such as attaching, hanging, or bumping.
• Basic usage: It identifies the surface or target that the action reaches and contacts.
  • In 壁に写真を貼った。, the wall is the surface receiving the photograph.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Attached object and receiving surface
  • In 写真を壁に貼る, 写真を marks the object being attached and 壁に marks where it is attached. The particles identify the roles even if word order changes.
• で for the location of an activity
  • 部屋で写真を貼る locates the activity of putting up a photograph in a room. This differs from specifying the directly contacted surface with 壁に.
• A role determined with the verb
  • In ドアに札を掛ける, に likewise marks the target where the sign is hung. A general location marker in Korean does not always correspond to this contact use of に.