Postposition 後置詞 (后置词)

hòuzhìcí · from English

What is a postposition?

A postposition is a grammatical word placed after the noun it relates to, the mirror image of an English preposition.

Verb-final languages like Japanese, Korean, Mongolian and Turkish typically use postpositions. Mandarin mixes both: prepositions like 在 zài and postpositional localisers like 上 shàng (on) and 裡 lǐ (inside).

Examples

Japanese 東京で Tōkyō de (in Tokyo); Korean 학교에 hakgyo-e (to school); Mandarin 桌子上 zhuōzi shàng (on the table)

Kungfucius says: English says in Tokyo; Japanese says Tokyo in. Both arrive.