How do we express the destination in Japanese?
へ・に – the particles for the destination
In Japanese, if you want to talk about the destination (or the direction),
the place name + へ (e) or に (ni)
is used.
For example,
学校へ行きます。
gakkou e iki masu.
I go to school.
わたしは日本に行きます。
watashi wa nihon ni iki masu.
I go to Japan.
Note that the particle へ is pronounced “e” and not “he”.
The difference between へ and に
There is slight difference in nuance between へ and に ;
へ (e) : normal, usual, without any specific intention
に (ni) : strong, with some intentional connotation
So, when we use に (ni) with the place of destination, we give or feel a certain connotation of intention.
For example,
学校へ行きます。
gakkou e iki masu.
学校に行きます。
gakkou ni iki masu.
have the same meaning as “going to school” but the latter gives the nuance of intention (e.g. to study, to meet your friends, to take an exam…)
Examples
A :
毎朝、何時に学校に行きますか。
maiasa, nanji ni gakkou ni iki masu ka.
What time do you go to school every day?
B :
８時に行きます。
hachi ji ni iki masu.
At 8 o’clock.
A :
９時に行きますか？
ku ji ni iki masu ka.
At 9?
B :
いいえ、９時に行きません。８時です。
iie, ku ji ni iki masen. hachi ji desu.
No, not 9 o’clock. It’s 8 o’clock.
A :
昨日、８時にうちへ帰りましたか。
kinou, hachi ji ni uchi e kaeri masita ka.
Did you go home at 8 pm yesterday?
B :
いいえ、帰りませんでした。７時に帰りました。
iie, kaeri masendesita. shichi ji ni kaeri mashita.
No, I didn’t. I went home at 7 pm.
A :
え、１時ですか。
e, ichi ji desu ka?
What? At 1 o’clock?
B :
いいえ、１９時に帰りました。
iie, juu ku ju ni kaeri mashita.
No, I went home at 7 pm.
ref : に (action point time)
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