から

Used in casual speech, often at the end of a sentence, to add a nuance of 'I'm telling you' or 'you know'. Can soften a statement or add a warning tone. See also いいから.

Usage patterns

〈時とき〉から〈時とき〉までfrom (time) to (time)
九く時じから五ご時じまで働はたらきます。
I work from nine to five.
〈人ひと〉から〈物もの〉をもらうto receive (something) from (someone)
友とも達だちからプレゼントをもらった。
I got a present from my friend.
〈事こと〉から、〈事こと〉because of (reason), (result/decision)
雨あめが降ふっているから、傘かさを持もって行いく。
Because it's raining, I'll take an umbrella.
〈物もの〉は〈物もの〉から作つくる(thing) is made from (material)
ワインはぶどうから作つくる。
Wine is made from grapes.
〈場ば所しょ〉から入はいるto enter through (a place/opening)
泥どろ棒ぼうは窓まどから入はいった。
The thief got in through the window.
〈動どう詞し〉てからafter doing (verb)
食しょく事じをしてから、歯はを磨みがきます。
I brush my teeth after eating.

Grammar

See all 4 grammar points ›

Related words· 13

ので sense 3
Both から and ので give a reason, but ので sounds more formal and objective while から is more subjective and can stand alone at sentence end for emphasis.
し
から states a reason directly and objectively, while し lists reasons more casually and often hints that there are others left unsaid.
もの
から states a reason in a neutral, objective way, while もの adds an emotional or subjective coloring to the same kind of reason.
よりN4
より marks a starting point in more formal or written Japanese, while から is the everyday, casual equivalent meaning 'from'.

Show 9 more

けん
から is the standard Japanese causal particle used nationwide, while けん is a dialectal equivalent heard mainly in western Japan (e.g. Kyushu, Chugoku).
なぜならN3
から attaches directly to the end of a clause to give a reason in casual speech, while 何故なら starts a new sentence and is more formal.
ないしN1
から is the ordinary casual way to mark 'from...to' with numbers or times, while ないし is its stiffer, written equivalent.
ために
から gives a subjective, personal reason, whereas ために presents a cause more objectively and formally.
だってN3
から is a neutral conjunction meaning 'because', while だって's 'because' sense is casual and often self-justifying.
なので
から expresses reason more subjectively and directly and can follow any part of speech, while なので sounds softer and more objective and is limited to nouns/na-adjectives.
て
から explicitly marks the stated reason for an action ('because'), while て implies causality more loosely as a natural, unstated consequence.
からには
から is a plain, general causal conjunction meaning 'because', while からには implies that once a condition is established, a determined or obligatory outcome naturally follows.
以い来らいN3
から is the everyday, spoken way to say 'since/from', while 以来 is more formal and stresses a continuing state up to now.

Opposites

までN5sense 1
から marks the starting point of a range while まで marks its endpoint, and the two are often used together as から〜まで.

Don't confuse with

のです
から explicitly marks a stated reason or cause ('because'), whereas のです adds an explanatory or emphatic tone without necessarily spelling out the reason.
のだ
から explicitly states a reason or cause, while のだ adds explanatory or emphatic nuance to a statement without necessarily giving a reason.

Written forms

からUsage100%
Kana-only particle; no kanji spelling exists.
カラUsage<1%

Etymology

A native particle attested in Old Japanese, marking a point of departure or source. Its causal use is documented from the early modern period; the particle’s deeper origin is disputed.