Japanese word

へ

Pronunciation

Romajie

Meaning

  • particleto

Example

学校へ行きます。gak kō e i ki ma su

I go to school.

Illustration for へ (to)

More examples

放課後、友だちの家へ行きます。hō ka go tomo da chi no ie e i ki ma su

I go to my friend's house after school.

休日は家へ帰ります。kyū jitsu wa ie e kae ri ma su

I return home on holidays.

Core concept

Presents a destination as the direction of movement, with emphasis on where someone or something is headed.

Common phrases

  • 学校へ行くgak kō e i ku

    go to school

  • 家へ帰るie e kae ru

    return home

Similar words

にni: Marks the direction or destination toward which someone or something moves.

Definition in Japanese

移動するものが目指す先の方向を示す。i dō su ru mo no ga me za su saki no hō kō o shime su

Word origin

The directional particle へ (e, "toward") preserves an old Japanese directional use, while its hiragana shape comes from the cursive form of 部 (bu, "section").

Usage tips

  • With movement verbs, へ (e) and に (ni) can both mark a destination, but へ presents it more strongly as the direction of travel.

Other meanings

  • towardsparticle

Word lists with this word