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Context: https://streamable.com/sk6rst

Sentence: 単なる自殺か？ 自殺に見せ掛けた　他殺か？

Question: What is the function of the particle に in 自殺に見せ掛けた ?

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AをBに見せ掛ける means "to make A appear to be B", "to pretend A is B", "to show A as B", etc. Grammatically, this に is either "to; into" (resultant state marker) or "as" (role marker), but basically this particle choice is something you have to memorize along with the verb 見せ掛ける itself.

他殺を自殺に見せ掛ける
to make a murder look like a suicide

自殺に見せ掛けた他殺 (relative clause)
a murder which someone made to look like a suicide
a murder disguised as a suicide

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  • I always thought it was と見せ掛けて. Is this wrong? or is there a different meaning?
    – zeuswife
    Apr 22, 2022 at 12:34
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    @zeuswife と見せ掛ける takes a clause (e.g., 寝ていると見せ掛ける), and に見せ掛ける takes a noun.
    – naruto
    Apr 24, 2022 at 0:43

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