Skip to content
Lesson 37 · direction of movement

Direction with へ

Another particle lets you say where you are heading.

Coco-senseiCoco-sensei

Learn

Pronunciation

As a particle, へ is pronounced e, like え—not he. The character keeps its usual he reading in other words.

へ marks the direction you are heading: 学校がっこう へ 行いきます or 家いえ へ 帰かえります. Use it with movement verbs such as “go,” “come,” and “return.”

For a destination with these movement verbs, へ and に are often both possible. へ emphasizes direction; に marks the destination as a point. In simple sentences, both can translate naturally as English “to.”

Examples

  • Ken goes to school.

  • I’m going home.

  • Where are you going?