に particle or のうえを to show writing on something


I was doing some composition practice and struck upon writing the sentence, "I
wrote on the blackboard in Japanese class."

This seemed straight forward enough：日本語のじゅぎょうで黒板...and that's when I wasn't
sure what particle should come next. I came up with two ideas and professor
google translate (I'm a self-learner prepping for my N5 exam having completed
Genki I) conjured both options below as correct. However, I don't think either
is exactly right.

Option A- 日本語のじゅぎょうで黒板に書きました。

Option B- 日本語のじゅぎょうで黒板のうえを書きました。

I've never seen the に particle used the way I proposed in option A. And I
think noun 黒板のうえを is more directional as in "I wrote on top of the blackboard"
which would be quite the trick. And I know for sure it can't be 黒板を because
that would imply I wrote the black board, which would also be quite the trick.

Any thoughts on the most correct path forward?




(*)黒板の[上]{うえ} **を** 書きました is as incorrect as (*)黒板 **を** 書きました. You don’t
write the top of the blackboard much as you don’t write the blackboard. You
write something **on** the blackboard, or on top of it. The sentence doesn’t
say what you wrote. If it were not omitted, it would have taken the object-
marker を, as in [名前]{なまえ} **を** 書きました.

The correct particle for 黒板 is に.

> 日本語の[授業]{じゅぎょう}で黒板 **に** 書きました。

You could add の[上]{うえ} but that’s not really necessary because if you write
anything on the blackboard, it would obviously be on top of it, not below or
beside. The sentence sounds more natural without it. If you say 黒板の上, it might
be understood as above the blackboard.

This usage of に is similar to that in テーブル（の[上]{うえ}） **に** 本を[置]{お}きます. It
indicates the target the action is directed towards. It could also be
understood as indicating the position or place where something will be as a
result of the action. In that sense, it is not much different from the に in
[電車]{でんしゃ} **に** [乗]{の}ります.

