GRAMMAR DETAIL

～に向かって

toward; in the direction of

Follows a place or goal to indicate the specific direction in which movement or an action is headed.

Examples

みんなで海に向かって歩いた。

We all walked toward the sea together.

選手たちはゴールに向かって一斉に走り出しました。

The athletes all started running toward the finish line at once.

船は港に向かってゆっくり進んだ。

The ship moved slowly toward the harbor.

Structure: A noun for a direction or goal takes に向かって, read にむかって.
Basic usage: 船は港に向かってゆっくり進んだ。 means that a ship moved slowly toward the harbor.

Direction and arrival
- 港に向かって進む gives a direction of movement, while 港に着く describes arrival. The direction expression alone does not establish completed arrival.
A physical place or an abstract goal
- 海に向かって歩く gives a spatial direction; 目標に向かって努力する gives the aim of an effort. The accompanying verb distinguishes physical movement from an abstract activity.