Breakdown of ame no hi ni gakkou ni iku houhou wo kangaemasita.
学校gakkou
school
にni
destination particle
行くiku
to go
をwo
direct object particle
のno
possessive case particle
にni
time particle
雨ame
rain
日hi
day
方法houhou
method
考えるkangaeru
to think
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Questions & Answers about ame no hi ni gakkou ni iku houhou wo kangaemasita.
What does 雨の日に mean, and what role does に play here?
雨の日に literally means “on a rainy day” or “on rainy days.” The particle に here marks time, indicating when the action occurs.
Why is の used between 雨 and 日 instead of writing them together?
の links 雨 (rain) as an attribute of 日 (day), forming 雨の日 (“rain’s day” = “rainy day”). Without の, the relationship between the two nouns would be unclear.
There are two に particles in the sentence (雨の日に and 学校に). How do they differ?
The first に marks time (“on rainy days”), while the second に marks destination or direction (“to school”).
Why is 行く in its dictionary (plain) form before 方法, rather than a polite form like 行きます?
When a verb modifies a noun in Japanese (creating a relative clause), it must be in its plain form. Hence 学校に行く方法 = “the method of going to school.” Polite forms (e.g. 行きます) cannot be used inside relative clauses.
Could one say 学校へ行く方法 instead of 学校に行く方法, and would the meaning change?
Yes. Both に and へ can mark “direction” or “goal.” 学校へ行く方法 is equally correct and carries the same basic meaning; へ slightly emphasizes movement toward the school.
What’s the difference between 方法 and 行き方, and is 学校に行き方を考えました acceptable?
方法 is a general word for “method,” used with verbs in plain form (～する方法). 行き方 is a compound noun meaning “way of going.” You cannot say 学校に行き方 directly because 行き方 already includes the verb. To use 行き方, link 学校 with への:
• 学校への行き方を考えました
Or stick with 学校に行く方法を考えました.
Why is 考えました in the past tense rather than present or progressive?
Using the past tense (完了形) with 考えました indicates the action of thinking is completed. Even if you’re still using the idea now, Japanese often uses the past tense to express that the thinking process has finished.