往 + direction: towards
介词 / prepositions
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
往 + 前 / 左 / 右 / 东… + Verb
往 (wǎng) shows the direction of movement. It's the go-to word for giving directions: 往前走 (go straight ahead), 往左拐 (turn left), 往右拐 (turn right).
The 往 + direction phrase goes before the verb. It also works with a place: 往地铁站走.
向 is a more formal synonym: 向前走.
Examples
一直往前走，到了路口往右拐。
Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, dàole lùkǒu wǎng yòu guǎi.Go straight ahead, and turn right at the intersection.
往左拐就是银行。
Wǎng zuǒ guǎi jiù shì yínháng.Turn left and it's the bank.
这辆车往哪儿开？
Zhè liàng chē wǎng nǎr kāi?Which way is this bus heading?
你往东走十分钟就到了。
Nǐ wǎng dōng zǒu shí fēnzhōng jiù dào le.Walk east for ten minutes and you're there.
Common mistakes
✗ 走往前 → ✓ 往前走.
✗ 左拐往 → ✓ 往左拐.