How to say "toward" in Japanese

• ころJLPT N3approx.Common
  noun, adverb, noun (suffix)Covers the temporal sense of 'toward': approaching a point in time, as in 'toward evening'. It really means 'around' or 'about' a time, not physical direction, and is normally written in kana.
  大抵たいていの晩餐ばんさんは１１時じ頃ころに終おわります。↗

  Most dinner parties break up about eleven o'clock.
• にCommon
  particleCovers the spatial sense of 'toward': movement or orientation toward a place, direction, or goal. This is the particle that marks direction or destination, and it also extends to 'into' a state.

Use 「に」 for the spatial sense of 'toward'—movement or orientation toward a place, direction, or goal—while 「ころ」 covers only the temporal sense, meaning roughly 'around' or 'approaching' a certain time.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• ころ(approximate) time
• にto (direction, state)