以来

Ever Since

Level 2Sounds Like irai

以来（いらい） means "ever since." It marks a significant turning point in the past and emphasizes that the resulting situation has continued steadily until a reference point, which is most often the present moment.

How It Works

以来（いらい） is a formal to standard expression used to indicate that a state has persisted continuously since a certain point in time.

1. Formation:

  • Verb: Use the て form + 以来 (e.g., 卒業（そつぎょう）して以来).
  • Noun: Noun + 以来 (e.g., 創業（そうぎょう）以来).
  • Pronouns: それ / あれ / これ + 以来 (e.g., それ以来).

2. Key Characteristics:

  • Continuity: The action or state in the second half of the sentence must be continuous. Because of this, the second clause usually takes the 〜ている form (ongoing state) or a negative form like 〜ていない (continued lack of action).
  • Significant Turning Points: It usually attaches to significant events like graduation, moving to a new country, or a major incident.
  • Time Gap: It cannot be used for the very recent past (like 'since this morning'). A significant amount of time must have passed.
  • Reference Point: While it usually describes a state continuing until the present, in narrative writing, it can describe a state that continued until a specific point in the past.

Examples (5)

  1. 日本に来て以来、毎日日記を書いています。

    Ever since I came to Japan, I have been writing in a diary every day.

    Word by Word: Japan to coming since, every day diary (object) writing am.

    This shows a continuous habit (writing a diary) that started the moment the speaker arrived in Japan.

  2. 卒業以来、彼には一度も会っていない。

    I haven't met him even once since graduation.

    Word by Word: Graduation since, him (as for) one time even meeting am not.

    This is a very common usage: a negative state (not meeting) that has continued from a past event (graduation) until now.

  3. あの事件以来、この町はすっかり変わってしまった。

    Ever since that incident, this town has completely changed.

    Word by Word: That incident since, this town (as for) completely changed (regret/completion).

    Here, the 'incident' is the turning point that resulted in a new, lasting state for the town.

  4. 結婚して以来、彼はタバコを吸わなくなった。

    Ever since he got married, he stopped smoking.

    Word by Word: Marrying since, he (as for) tobacco (object) smoke not became.

    This describes a change in habit that has been maintained since the wedding.

  5. 入院して以来、初めて外の空気を吸った。

    This is the first time I've breathed outside air since being hospitalized.

    Word by Word: Hospitalization since, first time outside air (object) breathed.

    This uses the '以来初めて' (first time since) pattern, which is an exception where the result is a single event rather than a continuous state.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 以来 for future events.

    来月以来、ダイエットを始めます。
    来月から、ダイエットを始めます。

    以来 is strictly for events that happened in the past. For future starting points, use から or 以降（いこう）.

  • Using 以来 for simple sequences of actions.

    昼ご飯を食べて以来、図書館へ行きました。
    昼ご飯を食べてから、図書館へ行きました。

    以来 requires a continuous state. If you just want to say 'after doing A, I did B,' use the standard てから pattern.

  • Using 以来 for the very recent past.

    さっき食べて以来、何も飲んでいない。
    さっき食べてから、何も飲んでいない。

    以来 cannot be used for events that happened just a few moments or hours ago. It requires a significant duration of time to have passed since the starting point.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

以来Level 2Ever Since

Learn This First

To understand '以来' (Ever since), learners need to be comfortable with the 'て' form of verbs, as the pattern is most commonly used as 'Verb-te + 以来'. It also requires an understanding of how Japanese expresses continuous states using '〜ている' and how to mark temporal starting points, similar to the more basic 'てから' pattern.

Words in This Pattern

以来