kono heya wa eki ni chikai shi, hiatari mo ii. yachin ga takai wake da.

topic particle

Breakdown of kono heya wa eki ni chikai shi, hiatari mo ii. yachin ga takai wake da.

• が: subject particle
• いい: good
• 駅えき: station

Questions & Answers about kono heya wa eki ni chikai shi, hiatari mo ii. yachin ga takai wake da.

Why is に used in 駅に近い?

With 近い, the thing you are close to is often marked by に.

• 駅に近い = close to the station
• 海に近い = close to the sea

So に here marks the reference point. This is a very common pattern with 近い and 遠い.

A learner might expect の somewhere, but 駅の近く is a different structure:

• 駅に近い部屋 = a room that is close to the station
• 駅の近くの部屋 = a room in the area near the station

Both can be similar in meaning, but the grammar is different.

Why is it 近い and not 近く?

近い is the plain dictionary form of the -i adjective. Here it is being used as the predicate of the clause:

• この部屋は駅に近い。

That is why you use 近い, not 近く.

近く is the adverbial form, used when modifying a verb or connecting in certain ways:

• 駅に近く住んでいる = live close to the station
• 駅に近くて便利だ = it is close to the station and convenient

So in your sentence, 近い is correct because the clause ends there before し.

What does し mean here?