Japanese Particles へ, と, から and まで Explained

After は, が, を, に and で, these four particles round out the essentials for building clear sentences.

へ (e) — direction

Marks the direction of movement, similar to に for destinations: 東京へ行く (head toward Tokyo). As a particle, へ is pronounced “e”.

と (to) — “and” / “with”

Joins nouns (“and”) and marks a companion (“with”): パンと卵 (bread and eggs), 友達と行く (go with a friend).

から (kara) — “from” / “because”

Marks a starting point in time or place, and also means “because”: 9時から (from 9 o''clock), 寒いから (because it''s cold).

まで (made) — “until” / “to”

Marks an end point: 5時まで (until 5 o''clock), 駅まで歩く (walk to the station). から and まで pair naturally: 月曜から金曜まで (from Monday to Friday).

Practise combining these and your sentences immediately gain range and precision.