Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
に marks a specific point of time or a concrete location where an action occurs, such as 五時半にうちを出ました, whereas へ emphasizes the direction of movement toward a destination, like 外へ出た. You can often swap them for movement verbs, but へ feels unnatural for time expressions, and に is the only choice when pinning an exact time or a static location where something happens.
- に Use に when you need to mark a specific time or a concrete location tied to an action.
- へ Use へ when you want to emphasize the direction or destination of a movement.
に ni
Location/Time/Direction
A particle that indicates a point of time at which something takes place.
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今朝は五時半にうちを出ました。
This morning I left home at five thirty.
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子供が学校に行っている間に手紙を書いた。
I wrote a letter while my children were away at school.
へ he
Direction
To; towards | A particle that indicates the direction toward which some directional movement or action proceeds.
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地震だったのでいそいで外へ出た。
It was an earthquake, so I went outside quickly.
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父へ手紙を出したが、まだ返事が来ない。
I sent a letter to my father, but his reply has not come yet.
に and へ are both JLPT N5 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.