〜に向けて|〜にむけて
- 1Toward or in preparation for a goal or upcoming event, with effort directed at it.Ex. 1
- 2Aimed at or directed to a particular person, group, or audience.Ex. 3
- 3Toward a destination, typically with verbs of setting out such as 出発する (e.g. 東京に向けて出発する).Ex. 4
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
Common in news reports, speeches, and announcements about goals, events, and plans such as exams, tournaments, and projects, and also used in everyday conversation. に向かって typically describes moving or facing toward something. に向けて stresses preparation and effort aimed at a future target, though it can also name a destination with verbs of departure such as 出発する.
Note that に向かって is usual for walking or facing toward something; に向けて marks a place mainly with verbs like 出発する.
Note that the noun is usually a future goal or event, not something already finished.
Learners should use に向けた or に向けての, not に向けて, directly before a noun.
- 1.に向かってN2「に向かって」emphasizes the subject's own orientation or direction of movement, e.g. a house facing the sea; when speaking to someone, it stresses facing them directly. When striving toward a goal the two are similar, but 「に向かって」focuses on the direction of advance while 「に向けて」focuses on preparation.
- 2.ためにN4「ために」expresses purpose in general and can attach to the dictionary form of verbs or 「名詞＋の」, and it can also express a reason; 「に向けて」attaches only to nouns and emphasizes preparing for a goal or time point, or being aimed at an audience. When expressing a cause, they cannot be swapped.
- 3.にはN3「には」attaches to the dictionary form of a verb to express purpose, with the following clause often stating a necessary condition or evaluation; 「に向けて」attaches to nouns, and the following clause usually describes actual preparation toward the goal. 「名詞＋には」can also mark the object of an evaluation, 'for...'. They are generally not interchangeable.
- 4.に先立ちN2「に先立ち」means doing something before an event or before others, focusing on the order of events; it can attach to the dictionary form of a verb and is more formal. 「に向けて」emphasizes the process of working toward a goal, attaches only to nouns, and can also mean being aimed at an audience, so the two are generally not interchangeable.
- 5.〜に当たってN2「に当たって」means 'on the occasion of...', focusing on the moment of welcoming or undertaking an important event, and does not express the process of advancing toward a goal; it can attach to the dictionary form of a verb and sounds more solemn. 「に向けて」attaches only to nouns.
に向かって centers on physical direction or facing, ために marks purpose broadly, and には (in order to) introduces what is needed to achieve something. に先立ち and 〜に当たって refer to the time just before or at the start of an event, while に向けて stresses ongoing effort toward it.
