そうして

そ

う

し

て

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

conjunction

and; and then; like that

usually written using kana alone

Connects clauses or sentences in a sequential or consequential way, similar to そして. The 'like that' nuance is less common and often appears in older or literary contexts.

Kanji

然sort of thing, so, if so

Related words

そしてN5
そして is the common, neutral word for 'and then', while そうして is a slightly more literary or emphatic variant with the same function.
それからN5
それから emphasizes a following action happening after the previous one, while そうして simply links clauses sequentially without that strong 'after that' focus.

Don't confuse with

こうしてN2
こうして describes the way things happened right here in the speaker's own narrative ('thus/in this way'), while そうして refers to something already mentioned or more distant ('in that way'), and the two are easily confused because of their similar こ/そ form.

Etymology

Compound of そう (so, like that) and して (te-form of する, to do). The kanji form 然うして is rare and largely replaced by kana.