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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the Ultimate Japanese Particle Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn the particle...
へ (e)
This particle is often referred to as the direction particle, because it usually indicates a direction or goal.
Let's see how it functions in a sentence. Risa, How do you say “to go”?
行きます (ikimasu)
And “to go to Mexico”?
メキシコへ行きます (Mekishiko e ikimasu)
Notice how the destination, Mexico is marked by the direction marking particle...
メキシコへ (Mekishiko e)
So, "to the airport" would be?
"Airport" in Japanese is 空港 (kūkō) so 空港へ (kūkō e).
How do you say then "go to the airport"?
空港へ行きます (kūkō e ikimasu)
Let's make a full sentence using this phrase.
これは空港へ行きますか。 (Kore wa kūkō e ikimasu ka.)
This means "Does this go to the airport?"
There is an important thing to remember about this particle's pronunciation.
When the hiragana symbol for へ (he) is part of a word, it’s pronounced へ (he). But when it’s used as a particle, it’s pronounced え (e).
Now, let's take a look at a few more examples.
私は、家へ帰ります。(Watashi wa uchi e kaerimasu.)
"I'm going home."
日本へようこそ! (Nihon e yōkoso!)
"Welcome to Japan!"
友達と温泉へ行きます。 (Tomodachi to onsen e ikimasu.)
"I'm going to go to a hot spring with my friends."
This particle can also mark the recipient of an action.
Let's see how it functions in a sentence. For example how do you say "I called my friend"?
友達へ電話をかけました。(Tomodachi e denwa o kakemashita.)
First, we have the recipient of the action, marked by the particle...
友達へ (Tomodachi e)
Then we have the action, "I called."
電話をかけました ( denwa o kakemashita.)
Let's see the same sentence, with a different recipient, for example "I called my mother."
母へ電話をかけました。(Haha e denwa o kakemashita.)
Also in this case the recipient of the action is marked by the particle.
母へ (Haha e)
Let's take a look at a few more examples.
友達へメールをしました。 (Tomodachi e mēru o shimashita.)
"I emailed my friend."
彼へ手紙を送りました。 (Kare e tegami o okurimasita.)
"I sent him a letter."
部長が部下へ話します。(Buchō ga buka e hanashimasu.)
"The director talks to his subordinates."
Now, let's use what you learned in this lesson.
We learned how to say “to go to Mexico.”
メキシコへ行きます (Mekishiko e ikimasu)
Here the particle へ (e) marks the direction of the action. The structure is...
[direction or goal]
へ (e)
[verb]
Now, let's try with "to go to Japan." The word for "Japan" is...
日本 (Nihon)
"To go to Japan" in Japanese is... [pause]
The answer is...
日本へ行きます (Nihon e ikimasu)
Did you get it right? In this sentence, the particle indicates a destination.
Let's try one more. We learned how to say "I called my friend."
友達へ電話をかけました。(Tomodachi e denwa o kakemashita.)
Here, the particle へ (e) marks the recipient of an action.
The structure is...
[recipient]
へ (e)
[verb or verb phrase]
Now, let's try with "I send flowers to her." Here are the words meaning "to send flowers" and "her."
お花を送ります (o-hana o okurimasu)
彼女 (kanojo)
Try to say "I send flowers to her." in Japanese. [pause]
The answer is...
彼女へお花を送ります (kanojo e o-hana o okurimasu)
Right. In this case, the particle へ (e) marks the recipient of an action.
In this lesson, you learned about the particle...
In the next lesson, you'll learn about the particle...
See you in the next lesson. Bye!
Bye~

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