raikansha ni, satsuei wa kinshi da to setsumeishimashita.

topic particle

Breakdown of raikansha ni, satsuei wa kinshi da to setsumeishimashita.

• に: indirect object particle
• と: quotative particle
• だ: to be

Questions & Answers about raikansha ni, satsuei wa kinshi da to setsumeishimashita.

Why is 来館者 followed by に?

Because 来館者に marks the person who received the explanation.

With 説明しました, the pattern is often:

• Aに Bと説明する = explain B to A

So here:

• 来館者に = to the visitors
• 撮影は禁止だと = that photography is prohibited
• 説明しました = explained

So に is not marking direction in a physical sense here; it marks the target of the explanation.

Why is 撮影 marked with は instead of が?

は sets 撮影 up as the topic: as for photography, it is prohibited.

So 撮影は禁止だ has a natural rule-announcement feeling, like:

• As for photography, it is prohibited
• more naturally in English: Photography is prohibited

If you used が instead, it would sound more like simply identifying the subject of the statement. は is very common in signs, rules, and explanations because it highlights the thing being discussed.

What exactly does 撮影 mean here?