Reason and Cause with から

Before we begin, it is important to note that な-adjectives and nouns cannot be attached directly to the conjunctive particle から as it needs to use だ or です.

• Verb + から

  ... atsumaru kara ...

• い-adjective + から

  ... oishii (desu) kara ...

• な-adjective + だ + から

  ... taihen da kara ...

• noun + だ + から

  ... aite da kara ...

Since a conjunction connects sentences and the fact that a sentence must end with a verb, the sentence marked by から must be in a verbal form.

If the noun or な-adjective is already conjugated into a negative form or different tense (e.g: じゃない / でした) then there is no need for an extra だ or です. When using the 〜ます or です forms, both sentences must be in polite form. Do not mix polite and casual speech as this can sound very unnatural.

This particle is often translated as "since", "because", "so", "therefore", "after" and so on in English but try not to strictly translate particles between Japanese and English since these may not completely share the same meaning as they do in English.

Expressing Reason or Cause

から as a conjunctive particle has a cause-and-effect type of relationship. In other words, the sentence marked by から gives a reason for something else that was, is or will be said.

Generally, the sentence marked by から comes first then the conclusion follows. For example:

By connecting these two sentences with から, the speaker can place more focus on the reason; while the statement "I'll help you" is important, it is not as important as "I like this town". Because of this, it can sound or appear to be more subjective (based on or influenced by personal feelings or opinions).

Here, the speaker is emphasising that the reason they are helping you is because they like the town.

— Soften a Request or Command

When making a request, especially one in the command form, providing a reason can help make it sound softer and less direct. In the following example, the use of から clearly indicates that the statement of "writing a letter" is the reason why the speaker is telling the listener to not look.

— Implying a Suggestion or Advice

Instead of directly giving a suggestion or advice, it is often helpful to explain the reason behind it to avoid sounding abrupt. By using から, you can explain or clarify the reason.

• 遅刻しそうだから早く準備しよう

  [chikoku shisou] kara [hayaku junbi shiyou]

  let's hurry up and get ready because we're going to be late.

Ending with から

There are many times a sentence may end in から with nothing following it. This is usually known as a "sentence fragment" since the reason (subordinate clause) is unable to stand on its own and requires a main clause and is generally only used in spoken Japanese and English. In formal writing, this would be grammatically incorrect since you should never start or end a sentence with a conjunction.

When this happens, it is likely that the speaker is providing a reason for something previously said.

Here, Sakura is responding to Toba's offer of taking a photo saying that she wants Toba to also take part in the photo and she provides the reason that 「写真は私が撮りますから」 (Because I will take a photo...) to convey the reason behind her initial statement of "No, this time, please join in too, Toba-sensei".

— Soften a Request or Command

Normally, the reason or cause marked by から comes first but what if you make a request or command then realise you should have given a reason? In natural conversations, we might sometimes first make a request or command and then provide the reason why afterwards.

This is common in everyday speech since we might not always be thinking ahead about how to structure our sentences perfectly. In the following example, the speaker gives the request to not be late, then clarifies the reason why afterwards by explaining: "Because it's an important meeting".

• 遅れないでください。大事な会議ですから

  okurenaide kudasai. daiji na kaigi desu kara

  Please don't be late. It's an important meeting.

  (It's an important meeting so please don't be late.)

This will sound more natural in spoken Japanese than providing the reason first.

— Adding a Justification

Similar to the previous section, we might say something that can sound like a compliant or a negative response without giving a reason first so we provide the reason why afterwards to justify what we said.

Imagine someone asking you to go with them somewhere and you replied by saying "I don't want to go" only to realise that you did not explain why so you immediately follow it up with "Because I'm tired". This can still sound rather argumentative or defensive, especially when you feel the need to defend or explain your point of view.

• 行きたくないんです。疲れたから

  ikitakunai n desu. tsukareta kara

  I don't want to go. I'm tired.

  (Because I'm tired, I don't want to go)

— Providing an Explanation

When providing an explanation in response to a question, you can end with から to express a reason instead of just a plain statement of fact. This usually happens when answering questions about why something is happening or why someone did something.

In the following example, Shino is expressing a reason as to why he cannot go rather than just a direct statement that he is busy. Also, this sentence would likely have been "I can't go because I'm busy" but it is important to remember that Japanese is a context based language so the last part is omitted.

— Implied context

Sometimes, a sentence may end with から as a sentence fragment without any previous statement to refer to. When this happens, it is likely that the reason or cause is based on contextual clues that the listener is expected to already understand.

For example, imagine you are waiting for someone who is supposed to go with you somewhere but they are taking too long. It is getting a bit late so you may tell them "I'm going now". By ending with から, you are implying a reason for your action, suggesting that the other person should hurry up and indicates that if they do not hurry, you will leave without them.

• もう行きますから

  mou ikimasu kara

  I'm going now so... (please hurry up and get ready)

As you can see, から implies a reason that the listener is expected to understand without needing to explicitly mention it. The listener should already be aware (implicitly) of the situation that lead to the conclusion.

…てから for Sequential Actions

When placing emphasis on the order of actions, から can be attached to a verb in the て form to indicate that the action marked by から is the starting point of the next action rather than both actions happening simultaneously. For example, a parent may tell their child that they should wash their hands before eating:

1. 手を洗って食べなさい

   te o aratte tabenasai

   Wash your hands and eat

2. 手を洗ってから食べなさい

   te o aratte kara tabenasai

   Wash your hands and then eat

In sentence (2), から emphasises the order: washing hands comes first then eating second. In other words, these actions happen one after the other.

Sentence (1) on the other hand, while it is possible to mean the same thing, it can imply a juxtaposition since it is less specific about the order of actions.

Without から to indicate order, て simply connects the two sentences without making it clear that washing hands must come first. It's like giving two instructions together, such as "Wash your hands and eat", suggesting that both actions happen at the same time. It could even imply that you should wash your hands after eating.

In this context, から does not strictly need to be used because it should already be obvious that both actions cannot be done simultaneously and that you would normally wash your hands first before eating.

However, these order of events are not always obvious without から. In the following example, it is clearly stated by から that "I listen to music" first, then "I will relax", not both at the same time. For that reason, てから may be interpreted as "A before B", "A and then B" or "B after A".

…てから to Express a Period of Time has Passed

In the previous section, we saw that てから places emphasis on the order of actions. This is also true when expressing a period of time which has passed similar to how you may use "since" or "after". For example, "it has been one year since I moved to Japan". It can also continue to carry that extra nuance of providing a reason or a starting point.

Here, "I had that dream" is the reason why "I felt I had to go there" and it is also the starting point that lead to that situation. Just like the previous section, this is an order of events that clearly states that the part marked by てから happens first then the conclusion last with the difference being that some time has passed rather than an action followed immediately after another.

Starting with だから

In casual speech, you may find だから at the very beginning of a sentence all on its own; it is similar to saying "That's why", "So", "Therefore", "For that reason", "like I said" and so on. This is generally used to introduce an explanation or conclusion based on something previously understood (implicitly).

Here, the speaker discovers that a Youkai has been making people reveal what is on their minds, causing them to be rude to others and this is the reason why Fumi-chan has not been able to keep secrets. Upon realising this, the speaker uses だから to implicitly explain the reason of the cause.

In the next example, the speaker had already told the listener that the road ahead is closed because they are on watch (guard duty). However, the listener still attempts to pass through anyway so the speaker yet again explains that "the road is closed" based on the previous reason (they are on watch).

Additional Notes

When using から, we are placing more focus on the reason of something rather than the result. Since the reason becomes more important than the result, it can come across as being subjective. You might think of the connection as "That's why" or "That is the reason why", for example:

1. この町が好きだから手伝ってあげるよ

   I like this town and that's why I'll help you

   (Here, the speaker expresses a personal liking for the town as the reason for helping.)

2. 手紙書いてんだから見ないで！

   I’m writing a letter and that's the reason why I don't want you to look.

   (Emphasis is on the act of writing a letter as a personal reason for not wanting anyone else to look.)

3. 遅刻しそうだから早く準備しよう

   The reason why we need to hurry up and get ready is because we're going to be late

   (The speaker is emphasising lateness as the motivating reason for the action.)

To focus more on the result, we can use ので but we will look at that in the next lesson as there is more we need to know about it.

Related Lessons and References

Here is a list of other pages as a reference of what else you may be interested in reading: