へ

へ vs に: heading toward vs arriving at

へ points in a direction; に points at the destination itself.

要点The idea

へ (pronounced e) marks a direction, toward somewhere, while に marks the destination itself.

kita e mukau.I head north.Pure direction: へ fits naturally.

kuukou e isogu.I hurry to the airport.

haha e no tegamia letter to my motherへ can link to a noun with の. に can't: ✗ 母(はは)ははにの手紙(てがみ)てがみ.

Atoukyou e iku.I'm heading to Tokyo.

Btoukyou ni iku.I'm going to Tokyo.

With motion verbs the two are nearly interchangeable. へ feels like the direction you're heading; に like the point you'll arrive at. In everyday speech, に is more common.

確認Check yourself

1“I head east”: 東(ひがし)ひがし＿向(む)むかう。
2“a present for my friend”, linked with の: 友達(ともだち)ともだち＿プレゼント. Type the two particles.
3Fix it: 冷蔵庫(れいぞうこ)れいぞうこへ牛乳(ぎゅうにゅう)ぎゅうにゅうがある。 (There's milk in the fridge.)
4Start a card to your teacher: 先生(せんせい)せんせい＿