✨What’s the Difference Between「へ」and「に」?✨

If you’re learning Japanese, you might have seen both「へ」and「に」used when talking about direction.

They can both be translated as “to”, but there’s a small difference! Let’s take a look 😊

Imagine you’re going to Tokyo. You can say:

東京へ行きます。

東京に行きます。

Both mean “I’m going to Tokyo.” But here’s the trick:

👉「へ」(pronounced “e”) focuses on direction — like pointing toward a place.

👉「に」shows the final destination — where you actually arrive.

So if you say:

学校へ行きます。= I’m heading toward the school.

学校に行きます。= I go to the school.

In many cases, both are OK and natural. But if you want to show the goal or result, use「に」.

For example:

いすにすわります。✅ (You sit on the chair — you reach the chair!)

いすへすわります。❌ (Sounds strange. “へ” is not used here.)

So remember:

🧭「へ」= direction

🎯「に」= destination or result

Try using them in your own sentences! 💬

Learning these little details makes your Japanese sound more natural 🥰

Yūta