から

From/because

Level 1Sounds Like kara

から is a versatile particle that means 'from' when talking about time or place, and 'because' when giving a reason.

How It Works

から is a fundamental particle with three primary roles:

1. Starting Point, Source, or Material ('From')
When attached directly to a noun, it indicates the origin.

  • Place/Time: 東京から (From Tokyo), 三時から (From 3 o'clock).
  • Source: 先生から聞きました (I heard it from the teacher).
  • Material: お酒は米から作られます (Sake is made from rice - used when the raw material changes form, unlike で which is used when the material retains its original form, e.g., 木で作られた机 - a desk made of wood).

Common Pairing: から is frequently paired with まで (until/to) to express a range of time or space: 東京から大阪まで (From Tokyo to Osaka).

2. Sequence ('After doing' / 'Ever since')
When attached to the て-form of a verb, it creates the pattern 〜てから.

  • 手を洗ってから、食べます (After washing my hands, I will eat).
  • 日本に来てから、三年になります (It has been three years ever since I came to Japan).

Note: Unlike 後で (after), てから often implies that the first action is a prerequisite or starting point for the second action, or marks the beginning of a continuous state.

3. Expressing a Reason ('Because')
から indicates a subjective reason. Unlike ので, it often expresses the speaker's will or a command.

Attachment Rules for Reasons:

  • Verbs/い-Adjectives: Attach to the plain or polite form (行くから / 行きますから).
  • な-Adjectives & Nouns: You must add a copula like だ, です, or their conjugations (e.g., だった, じゃない, でした) before から (好きだから / 休みでしたから).

Sentence-Final Usage:
In conversation, から is often used at the end of a sentence to state a reason without a following clause: 「どうして行かないの？」「忙しいから。」("Why aren't you going?" "Because I'm busy.")

Critical Distinction:
To say 'From the holiday,' use 休みから (Direct attachment).
To say 'Because it is a holiday,' use 休みだから (Requires copula).

Examples (5)

  1. 会議は九時から始まります。

    The meeting starts from 9 o'clock.

    Word by Word: Meeting (topic) nine o'clock from starts.

    Here, から marks the starting time of the meeting.

  2. 危ないから、触らないでください。

    Because it's dangerous, please don't touch it.

    Word by Word: Dangerous because, touch-not please.

    から connects the reason (it's dangerous) to the request (don't touch).

  3. 今日は休みだから、学校に行きません。

    Because today is a holiday, I'm not going to school.

    Word by Word: Today (topic) holiday is because, school to go-not.

    Since 'holiday' (休み) is a noun, we must add だ before から to express a reason.

  4. アメリカから来ました。

    I came from America.

    Word by Word: America from came.

    から marks the physical point of origin (the speaker's home country).

  5. 暑いですから、窓を開けましょう。

    Because it's hot, let's open the window.

    Word by Word: Hot is because, window (object) open-let's.

    This uses the polite form (です) before から, which is common in daily conversation.

Common Mistakes

  • Reversing the order of reason and result.

    学校に行きません、雨だから。
    雨だから、学校に行きません。

    In English, we often say 'Result because Reason.' In Japanese, the order is strictly 'Reason + から + Result.'

  • Forgetting 'だ' or 'です' with nouns when giving a reason.

    日曜日から、休みです。
    日曜日だから、休みです。

    Without だ（だ）, 日曜日から（にちようびから） means 'From Sunday.' To say 'Because it is Sunday,' you must use 日曜日だ（にちようびだ） followed by から.

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からLevel 1From/because

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