particle N5 essential casualpolitewritten
へ — the direction particle
へ ・ え
Meaning
- to / toward ~ — marks the direction or goal a movement heads in
Key sentence
東京へ行く。
I'm going to Tokyo.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (place / direction) | N + へ | 海へ / 右へ |
When: Written へ, pronounced え. Slightly more formal-feeling than に for movement.
Examples
来年、国へ帰る。
Next year I'll return to my home country.
右へ曲がってください。
Please turn to the right.
家族へのプレゼントを買った。
I bought a present for my family.
への links to a following noun
Easily confused with
Notes
- へ as the direction particle is written with the hiragana へ but pronounced え.
See へ in real sentences
Jengo shows へ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.