で

at: indicating a location at which something happens
ここで休(やす)みたい。
Koko de yasumitai.
I want to rest 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 edit

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

Adverb edit

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 edit

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 edit

Japanese basic inflections

			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))
	Plain	Negative	mizenkei + ない (-nai)	stem + くない (-ku nai)	noun + で（は）ない (de [wa] nai)
	Polite	Affirmative	ren'yōkei + ます (-masu)	stem + いです (-i desu)	noun + です (desu)
	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))
	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)
	Polite	Affirmative	ren'yōkei + ました (-mashita)	stem + かったです (-katta desu)	noun + でした (deshita)
	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		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		ren'yōkei + ましょう (-mashō)	(stem + いでしょう (-i deshō))	noun + でしょう (deshō)
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			kateikei + ば (-ba)	stem + ければ (-kereba)	(noun + であれば (de areba))

Etymology 3 edit

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,^[1] and first attested in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter of the late 800s.^[2]

Suffix edit

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 edit

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

Particle edit

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 edit

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “で”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ2-2] “で”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[1]

[2]