において / における
- 1At or in a place, occasion, or event where an action or state occurs.Ex. 1
- 2In a particular field, domain, or area of activity.Ex. 2
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
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A formal, mainly written expression used in news reports, academic writing, official documents, and speeches, where で would sound too plain. It marks the setting (place, event, situation) or field in which something happens. Unlike について or に関して, it does not introduce a topic of discussion. It only marks the setting or field.
Do not put における before a verb or at the end of a sentence; it must directly modify a following noun.
Note that において marks where something happens, not what something is about; use について for the topic.
Learners often overuse において in casual conversation, where plain で is far more natural.
- 1.についてN3「について」introduces the topic of actions such as speaking or thinking ('about...'), while 「において」indicates the place, time, or field where something occurs ('at/in...'), so the two cannot be interchanged. 「について」is neutral in register, while 「において」is formal/written.
- 2.に関する / に関してN3「に関して」expresses the topic of discussion ('about/concerning...'), whereas 「において」expresses the place, time, or field of an event ('at/in...'). Both are written-style and their attachment forms are similar, but their meanings differ, so they cannot be interchanged.
- 3.に対してN3「に対して」marks the target at which an action or attitude is directed, and can also express contrast or proportion; 「において」only marks the place, time, or field of an event, so the two cannot be interchanged. 「に対して」is neutral in register.
- 4.に際してN2「に際して」marks the moment of an important event such as the opening of a meeting or a graduation ('on the occasion of...') and attaches to nouns or dictionary-form verbs; 「において」marks the place, time, or field of an event and attaches only to nouns. The two generally cannot be interchanged.
- 5.にあたってN2「にあたって」marks the occasion of facing an important matter, introducing a speech, a statement of one's stance, or preparations, and attaches to nouns or dictionary-form verbs; 「において」marks the place, time, or field of an event and attaches only to nouns. The two generally cannot be interchanged.
- 6.にしてN1「にして」is also written-style and attaches to nouns, but it does not mark place or field: it emphasizes that something happens only at (or already at) a certain age or stage, a change occurring in an instant, or one person holding two identities at once, so it cannot be interchanged with 「において」.
について and に関して mark the topic something is about, and に対して marks a target or contrast, whereas において marks the setting or field. に際して and にあたって mark the occasion of undertaking an action, and にして marks a stage or level reached (e.g. an age), not a general place or domain.
