What is the に particle in 他に doing


> 他にいいものがたくさんあるけど、やっぱりこれにする。
>
> "There are a lot of other good things, but as I thought I'll go with this
> one"

What is the に particle doing here? Is it turning 他 into an adjective? I
understand that いいもの means good thing but I can't figure out why they wrote
他にいいもの instead of 他いいもの.




[他]{ほか} is a noun. And it can be used alone as a noun; example from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「ここには[見当]{みあ}たらないから、どこか **[他]{ほか}を** [捜]{さが}そう。」

It can also be used adverbially; from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「[会長]{かいちょう} **[他]{ほか}** [三名]{さんめい}が[出席]{しゅっせき}」  
>  「[文書]{ぶんしょ}をもってする **[他]{ほか}** 、[口頭]{こうとう}でも[説明]{せつめい}する」

Since 他 is a noun, 他 **の** can modify nouns / noun phrases adjectivally...
like 「[別]{べつ}の + [部屋]{へや}」「[右]{みぎ}の + [箱]{はこ}」 etc., as in:

> **[他]{ほか}の** [人]{ひと} -- other people / someone else  
>  **他の** もの -- other things / something else

And 他 **に** can modify verbs adverbially... like 「別に + する (= 分ける)」「[左右]{さゆう}に
+ [振]{ふ}る」 etc., as in the examples from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「何か **他に** [必要]{ひつよう}なものはありませんか」(Do you need anything other than that?)  
>  「[釣]{つ}りの **他に** 、カメラが好きだ」(Besides fishing, I like taking photos.)

So, going back to your sentence...

> **他に** いいものがたくさんあるけど・・・

The 他に ("other than that" / "beside that") modifies the verb ある ("exist" →
"There are") adverbially. So it literally means "Although there are a lot of
good things other than that...", hence the translation "There are a lot of
other good things, but...".

* * *

> instead of 他いいもの

[他]{ほか} is a noun, so you can't just connect a noun 「他」 + a noun phrase
「いいもの」.  
You'd say 「他の + いいもの」 to _literally_ say "other + good things".




[他]{ほか} is a noun. And it can be used alone as a noun; example from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「ここには[見当]{みあ}たらないから、どこか **[他]{ほか}を** [捜]{さが}そう。」

It can also be used adverbially; from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「[会長]{かいちょう} **[他]{ほか}** [三名]{さんめい}が[出席]{しゅっせき}」  
>  「[文書]{ぶんしょ}をもってする **[他]{ほか}** 、[口頭]{こうとう}でも[説明]{せつめい}する」

Since 他 is a noun, 他 **の** can modify nouns / noun phrases adjectivally...
like 「[別]{べつ}の + [部屋]{へや}」「[右]{みぎ}の + [箱]{はこ}」 etc., as in:

> **[他]{ほか}の** [人]{ひと} -- other people / someone else  
>  **他の** もの -- other things / something else

And 他 **に** can modify verbs adverbially... like 「別に + する (= 分ける)」「[左右]{さゆう}に
+ [振]{ふ}る」 etc., as in the examples from 明鏡国語辞典:

> 「何か **他に** [必要]{ひつよう}なものはありませんか」(Do you need anything other than that?)  
>  「[釣]{つ}りの **他に** 、カメラが好きだ」(Besides fishing, I like taking photos.)

So, going back to your sentence...

> **他に** いいものがたくさんあるけど・・・

The 他に ("other than that" / "beside that") modifies the verb ある ("exist" →
"There are") adverbially. So it literally means "Although there are a lot of
good things other than that...", hence the translation "There are a lot of
other good things, but...".

* * *

> instead of 他いいもの

[他]{ほか} is a noun, so you can't just connect a noun 「他」 + a noun phrase
「いいもの」.  
You'd say 「他の + いいもの」 to _literally_ say "other + good things".

