hacia
/ˈaθja/
The English phrase 'towards' is translated into Spanish as hacia.
hacia can be used to indicate both physical direction and an approximate time, such as 'towards the afternoon'.
Which one should you use?
While hacia indicates direction (towards), the preposition a is used to indicate a specific destination (to).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, it is frequent to use hacia allá or para allá to express movement 'towards there'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hacia is a preposition and does not change its form based on gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaθja/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add an accent to the 'a' (hacía), but hacia (towards) and hacía (I was doing/making) are two different words with different meanings and pronunciations.
Did you know?
- The word hacia is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'face'.
- In Old Spanish, the word for 'towards' was written as fazia or faza instead of hacia.
Examples in context
- Id hacia el sur.Go towards the south.This sentence shows how to use hacia for physical direction.Tatoeba #8410501 by arh, translation #8416141 by cromwellt
- Todos se apresuraron hacia Tom.Everybody rushed towards Tom.This sentence shows movement directed toward a person using hacia.Tatoeba #6549722 by EdwinPujols, translation #2094836 by CK
- Las plantas crecen hacia el Sol.Plants grow towards the sun.This sentence demonstrates using hacia to describe a direction of growth.Tatoeba #2822926 by wallebot, translation #2488941 by Hybrid
- El profesor camina hacia la biblioteca.The professor walks towards the library.
- Nuestros esfuerzos están orientados hacia el crecimiento sostenible.Our efforts are directed towards sustainable growth.
- Quiero viajar hacia el futuro.I want to travel towards the future.
- Sigue en dirección al parque y lo encontrarás a tu izquierda.Go towards the park, and you will find it on your left.
- Estamos trabajando en dirección a la consecución de nuestros objetivos.We are working towards achieving our goals.
- Estoy corriendo para allá.I'm running towards there.
- Voy hacia allá para encontrarte.I'm going towards there to meet you.
- Camina para allá y lo verás.Walk towards there, and you will see it.
- Mi amor y gratitud van hacia mi familia.My love and gratitude go towards my family.
- La gente muestra apoyo hacia los más necesitados.People show support towards those in need.
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are walking in a large park.
- Sofía¿A dónde vamos ahora, Javier?Where are we going now, Javier?
- JavierCaminemos hacia el lago.Let's walk towards the lake.
- SofíaEstá muy lejos de aquí.It is very far from here.
- JavierSí, pero es más bonito hacia allá.Yes, but it is prettier towards that way.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hacia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
