The particle へ

N へ N e Direction; toward

へ (e) marks the direction you move in: to Osaka, to the gym. With 行く and 来る it is close to に. It also opens cards and letters: 先生へ.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Particles
English links: prepositions of movement, to and toward, letters and cards

What it means

へ marks the direction of movement. It goes with verbs like 行きます (go), 来ます (come) and 帰ります (go back home). 大阪へ行きます is "I am going to Osaka".

Like は, it is written with a different kana. へ is "he" in the kana chart, but as a particle you say it "e". So 東京へ is "toukyou e".

With movement verbs, へ and に are almost the same, and you can use either. The small difference: へ looks at the way you are heading. に looks at the arrival point. In speech, に is more common. へ feels a little more written.

You will see one more use at school. Students write 先生へ at the top of a card or letter. It means "To Sensei". Here only へ works, not に. へ can also join の to describe a noun: 友達への手紙 (a letter to a friend). に cannot do that.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Place + へ + 行きます / 来ます / 帰ります place + e + ikimasu / kimasu / kaerimasu	The direction you move in. You can use に here too.
Person + へ person + e	At the top of a card or letter: 先生へ (To Sensei). Only へ, not に.
Noun + への + noun noun + e no + noun	A noun with a direction: 友達への手紙 (a letter to a friend). に cannot join の like this.

Examples

来週、大阪へ行きます。 raishuu, oosaka e ikimasu. I am going to Osaka next week.
何時に家へ帰りますか。 nanji ni ie e kaerimasu ka. What time do you go home?
学生たちは体育館へ行きました。 gakuseitachi wa taiikukan e ikimashita. The students went to the gym.
夏休みに国へ帰ります。 natsuyasumi ni kuni e kaerimasu. I am going back to my country for the summer holidays.
先生へ。いつもありがとうございます。 sensei e. itsumo arigatou gozaimasu. To Sensei. Thank you for everything.

How English says it

"To" is the everyday English word for へ: go to Osaka, come to school. "Toward" (or "towards" in British English) is closer to the core idea of direction, but it means something different: "walk toward the station" does not say you arrive.

English drops "to" with home, here, there and abroad: "go home", not "go to home". 家へ帰る has a particle, but the English has none.

For letters, English starts with "Dear" and the name. "To" belongs on cards and gift tags: "To Ms. Brown, from Yuki".

Why it can make English hard

へ and に both become "to", so there is no choice to learn here. The trouble is the words that take no "to": home, here, there, abroad, downstairs.
Some word lists give "toward" for へ. Students who learn it that way may say "go toward Tokyo" when they mean "go to Tokyo".
帰る has no exact English verb. Many students use "return" for it: "I return to my house at six." In daily speech, English says "go home" or "get home".

Mistakes you will hear

I returned to my house at six. I got home at six. 家へ帰りました is often taught as "return". In speech, English says "go home" or "get home".
I went to abroad last summer. I went abroad last summer. 外国へ行きました has へ, but "abroad" works like "home": no "to".
Please come toward the office. Please come to the office. "Toward" only gives the direction. "To" means you arrive.
To Ms. Brown. Thank you for your lessons. Dear Ms. Brown, Thank you for your lessons. 先生へ becomes "To" in some cards. "To" is fine on a card or a gift tag. In a letter, use "Dear".

In the classroom

Draw a line with an arrow on the board. Write "to" at the arrowhead and "toward" along the line. Ask a student to walk "toward the door", then "to the door".
When a student gives you a card with 先生へ at the top, use it. Show how English cards and letters start: "To" on a tag, "Dear" in a letter.
Drill "home" with no "to". What time do you go home? get home? leave home? Students answer in full sentences.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 来週、京都＿行きます。 (I am going to Kyoto next week.)

Answer: へ (or に)

Kyoto is where you are heading. With 行きます, へ and に both work.
2. Fill the gap at the top of a card: 田中先生＿。ありがとうございました。

Answer: へ

At the top of a card or letter, only へ works, not に.
3. A student writes "I return to my house at five." Fix it.

Answer: I go home at five. (or: I get home at five.)

"Return" is too formal for daily life, and "home" needs no "to".
4. Translate: 友達への手紙を書きました。

Answer: I wrote a letter to a friend. (or: to my friend)

への makes the direction describe the letter. English puts "to" after the noun.