…へ
…-e
In Japanese, 'to' can be expressed in several ways depending on whether you are focusing on direction, arrival or a limit. The default form is …へ (…-e). Wiktionary also lists …まで.
Meaning: in the direction of, and arriving at (prep)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …へ | …-e |
| …まで |
…へ describes movement toward a direction. …まで is used to express the extent or the limit of a distance, meaning 'as far as' or 'up to' a certain point. If you wish to express 'in order to', the related form に is used as a conjunction.
Which one should you use?
…へ emphasizes the direction or the journey toward a destination, whereas …に focuses more on the arrival at the specific destination. …まで differs from both by emphasizing the extent or the limit of the distance, translated as 'as far as' or 'up to'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the particle …へ, it is pronounced as 'e' (like the 'e' in 'met') rather than 'he'.
How do you pronounce it?
…-e
Did you know?
- The particle …へ can be used to address a person in a letter, such as 'To Mr. Tanaka', whereas …に would feel too direct or even aggressive in that specific context.
- While まで typically means 'until' or 'as far as', it can be used to describe an extreme degree of a state, such as saying someone is 'tired まで' to mean they are exhausted to the point of collapse.
- The particle へ is written with the character for 'he' but is pronounced only as 'e'. This is because the original 'h' sound disappeared in spoken Japanese centuries ago, though the spelling remained.
Examples in context
- お客様へのご案内です。This is an announcement for the customers.
- 社長に対して挨拶をしなければなりません。I must greet the president respectfully.
- 学校に行くTo go to school
Sources
- Wiktionary, “to” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
