へ marks direction or destination with movement verbs. It is often similar to に, but it focuses on the direction rather than the arrival point. It is written as へ but pronounced “e.” Key points: • へ marks direction/destination • Used with movement verbs like 行きます, 来ます, 帰ります • Pronounced “e,” not “he” • Often interchangeable with に in beginner sentences For example, “学校へ行きます” means “I go toward school.” “うちへ帰ります” means “I go home.” If you use に instead, the meaning is also fine for beginners, but に emphasizes arrival. In daily conversation, you can use either に or へ for destinations. Many textbooks introduce both, and you will see both in real Japanese. Remember the pronunciation: when へ is a particle, say “e.” This is similar to how は is pronounced “wa.” As a beginner, you can safely use に for destinations and still be correct, but learning へ helps you read and understand more natural sentences. When you read signs or schedules, you will often see へ because it focuses on direction. Recognizing it quickly will make it easier to understand movement-related sentences.