GRAMMAR DETAIL
で
Follows a field, system, or context to limit the scope in which a judgment or explanation applies.
Examples
この制度では年齢を問わない。
Age does not matter under this system.
Words used
日本語では自分の名前を先に言います。
In Japanese, you say your own name first.
Words used
この地域では冬に雪が多い。
This region gets a lot of snow in winter.
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: Add
でto a noun specifying a system, field, region, or other scope. Useではwhen presenting that scope as a topic. - Basic usage: It identifies the framework or scope within which the following judgment applies.
この制度では年齢を問わない。means that age is not a condition under this system.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Avoid extending the scope
この地域ではdoes not assert that other regions must be the same. Nor does it assert that every other region is different.
- は in では
- In
では,はpresents the scope as a topic or contrasts it with another scope. The expression is not itself negative.
- In
- Distinct from causal で
この制度ではframes a judgment within a system, while病気で休むgives the cause of an absence. Distinguish them by the relation between the noun and the following predicate.