tsukue no hashi ni memochou o okimasu.

direct object particle

Breakdown of tsukue no hashi ni memochou o okimasu.

• の: possessive case particle
• に: location particle
• 机つくえ: desk

Questions & Answers about tsukue no hashi ni memochou o okimasu.

Why is there a の between 机 and 端? Why not just say 机端?

In Japanese, when one noun modifies another, you almost always put の between them:

• Noun A + の + Noun B

Here, 机の端 literally means “the edge of the desk” (desk of edge).

So:

• 机 = desk
• 端 = edge
• 机の端 = the desk’s edge / the edge of the desk

You generally cannot just stick two nouns together like 机端 the way English might use a compound noun. You need の to show the relationship.

Why is the particle に used after 端, as in 端に? Could we use で instead?

に and で both mark locations, but they’re used differently.

• に: marks the location where something exists, is placed, or ends up
• で: marks the location where an action is performed

In this sentence:

• 机の端にメモ帳を置きます。
  = “(I) will put a notepad on the edge of the desk.”

You’re specifying where the notepad ends up / is placed, so you use に.

If you said 机の端でメモ帳を置きます, it would sound like “At the edge of the desk, I (do the action of) placing the notepad (somewhere),” which is unnatural and confusing here. The important point is the final location of the notepad, so に is correct.

Why does メモ帳 take the particle を? What does を mean here?