The Difference Between「を」 (o) vs 「で」 (de)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)

(Joy walking THROUGH the park [O] vs. Joy eating AT the park [De])

“I walk in the park.” (Kouen de? Kouen o?)
Usually, を (O) marks the Object (Coffee o nomu). But with movement verbs, it marks the Path. で (De) marks the Place of Action. Let’s master the “Movement Rule” with Joy and Ken!

🗣 Conversation Scene

Joy is talking about her weekend exercise.

Joy

ケンさん、日曜日は散歩（さんぽ）しました。
橋（はし）で渡（わた）って、公園で歩（ある）きました。
(Ken, I took a walk on Sunday. I crossed “at” the bridge and walked “at” the park.)

Ken

Joyさん、移動（いどう）するときは「を」ですよ！
橋を渡って、公園を歩きます。
(Joy, when you move/traverse, use “O”! You cross [through] the bridge and walk [through] the park.)

💡 Explanation

Is it a “Spot” or a “Passage”?

1. 〜を (O) = Path / Route

Use with Movement Verbs (Walk, Run, Fly, Cross, Turn)
Think of “O” as an arrow ➡️ passing through a space. You go from side A to side B.

空（そら）を飛（と）ぶ。
(Fly [through] the sky.)
道（みち）を歩（ある）く。
(Walk [along] the street.)
角（かど）を曲（ま）がる。
(Turn [at/through] the corner.)

2. 〜で (De) = Place of Action

Use with Activity Verbs (Eat, Sleep, Buy, Wait, Study)
Think of “De” as a box 📦 or a stage. You stay within that location to do something.

海（うみ）で泳（およ）ぐ。
(Swim [at/in] the sea. *Usually “De” unless you are crossing it.)
公園で休（やす）む。
(Rest at the park.)

📊 Comparison Table

Particle	Concept	Typical Verbs
を (O)	Path / Route ➡️ Passing through	Walk, Run, Fly, Cross, Pass, Turn
で (De)	Location 📍 Doing an action there	Eat, Sleep, Wait, Play, Read, Buy

🚧 Joy’s Mistake

(Joy tells Ken she is crossing a bridge)

❌ Wrong: 橋（はし）で渡ります。
(Tone: This sounds like “I will perform the action of crossing, staying on the bridge.” It’s unnatural because “crossing” implies moving to the other side.)

✅ Right: 橋を渡ります。
(Tone: “I cross the bridge.” The bridge is the path you traverse.)