Reason or Cause with ので

As we have covered in previous lessons so far, conjunctions connect sentences and therefore need to be in a verbal form. Remember, な-adjectives and nouns cannot be attached directly to conjunctive particles. Since this particle starts with the explanatory の, な-adjectives and nouns need to use な.

• Verb + ので

  ... atsumaru node ...

• い-adjective + ので

  ... oishii node ...

• な-adjective + な + ので

  ... taihen na node ...

• noun + な + ので

  ... aite na node ...

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 な or です. When using the 〜ます or です forms, both sentences are usually in the polite form but not always.

Just like the から particle, ので is often translated as "because", "so", "therefore" 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.

ので is for the most part the same as the conjunctive から particle with the exception that ので needs to use な instead of だ, it sounds more formal and focus is placed on the conclusion rather than the reason. In fact, ので is the て form of the explanatory のだ and can be contracted to んで but this may sound too casual depending on the context.

Due to its polite feel, ので will normally be used in formal situations like when speaking to a stranger or within a business setting.

Expressing Reason or Cause

ので as a conjunctive particle has a cause-and-effect type of relationship, similar to から; The sentence marked by ので provides a reason as an explanation. By connect the following two sentence with ので, the speaker is explaining that the reason they are getting some fresh air is because they feel seasick.

This use of ので is placing more focus on the conclusion than the reason. Think of it like this: while "I got seasick" is important, the conclusion "I’m getting some fresh air" is more important. If we used から here, then the focus would be on the reason "I got seasick" rather than the conclusion; this is why we have not used the word "because" as that would emphasise the reason.

Here, "getting some fresh air" is a direct result of being "seasick" rather than a sequence of actions explaining why the speaker is getting some fresh air. Remember in the previous lesson where から marked the starting point of the next action.

Ending with ので

Unlike から that provides a reason for something previously said, what comes after ので is the conclusion (main idea) that can already be understood by context of the given situation. This can make a statement feel more polite. For example:

1. 暑いので・・・

   atsui node...

   It's hot so... (it'll burn if you touch it)

2. わたしはこの辺にくわしくないので

   watshi wa kono hen kuwashikunai node...

   I'm not familiar with this area (...so I don't know where to go)

3. 急ぎではありませんので

   Isogide wa arimasen node

   I'm not in a hurry (...so please take your time)

There is no need to worry about trailing off with ので because the listener should be able to take the hint of what you were trying say without been too direct. This is useful when being direct may seem awkward but be careful not to use it in every sentence because it could make you sound childish or unreliable.

Using ですので Appropriately

When thinking about talking politely or being formal, it can be easy to assume that ので can be replaced with ですので; however, despite seeming very polite, it can be rude depending on the situation.

It is important that you do not start a sentence with ですので as this is not the same as using だから. Using it in this manner can sound accusatory, which could make the listener feel uncomfortable as though they are being blamed. Instead, you might want to use ですから. However, even this can still sometimes sound more direct than ですので.

When used in formal settings, ですので should only ever be used to connect two sentences in spoken Japanese. Regardless of whether it is ですので or なので, using it at the beginning of a sentence with superiors or anyone else of higher status can come across as rude. In many cases, it is also seen as grammatically incorrect.

ので vs から

Both ので and から may seem to to translate to the same thing in English: "Because", "Since", "therefore", "so" and so on; but they are not quite the same so they are not always interchangeable. This is why it is best to not translate them too strictly.

— Placing emphasis

The use of から is directed towards why something happened or is the case. Here, the speaker is emphasising the "rain" as the cause of the game been cancelled.

• 雨が降ったから試合は中止になりました

  [ame ga futta kara] shiai wa chuushi ni narimashita

  Because it rained, the game was cancelled.

If we use ので, the focus is now on the conclusion (or effect). Here, the speaker is emphasising that "the game was cancelled" rather than the cause itself.

• 雨が降ったので試合は中止になりました

  [ame ga futta node] shiai wa chuushi ni narimashita

  Because it rained, the game was cancelled.

If you are familiar with the philosophy of Critical Thinking, you might consider から as emphasising the Logical Premises while ので focuses on the Logical Conclusion; this is why I have opted for using "conclusion" instead of "result":

• A から B — (Focus = A)
  • Because of A, B
  • Since A, B
  • As a result of A, B
  • From A, B
  • Starting with A, B
• A ので B — (Focus = B)
  • A, so B
  • A, therefore B
  • Due to A, B
  • Given that A, B
  • A being the case, B

Try not to take this too seriously, though. The point here is that whichever you choose to use can subtly change the emphasis between the reason (cause) and the conclusion (effect).

In English, you can use either "because" or "so" to place emphasise in the same way:

• ので = It rained so the game was cancelled.

  This is suggesting that the game was cancelled as a direct result of the rain.

• から = Because it rained, the game was cancelled.

  This explicitly states the reason making it clear that the rain was the cause of the cancellation.

In Japanese on the other hand, to shift the emphasis between reason and conclusion, we can use either ので or から. Therefore, it is best not to overuse words like "because", "since", "so" interchangeably as they do not always represent what these particles are actually doing. If anything, treat から as "because; since" and ので as "so; therefore" but only when connecting two sentences, not as a standalone word.

— Fault or Accusation

Due to this nuance in meaning between ので and から, a statement using ので may sound like you are giving fault to something or accusing someone despite the claim that ので is considered more polite. It is useful to be aware of the issues this can present.

• 宿題を出さなかった「から・ので」先生に怒られました

  [shukudai o dasanakatta] (kara / node) sensei ni okoraremashita

• から = You got scolded by the teacher because you didn't hand in your homework.
• ので = You didn't hand in your homework, so you got scolded by the teacher.

Using から in this context feels more like a straightforward statement of cause and effect; it is more about explaining why something happened rather than highlighting where the fault lies. Here, it is implying that the scolding came after the failure to hand in the homework.

In contrast, using ので leads naturally to the conclusion, subtly suggesting that this was the fault of the person not submitting their homework; it can come off as pointing out the fault or blame more explicitly. Here, it is implying that not handing in the homework directly resulted in you getting scolded.

— Objective and Subjective

When you have no control over the cause of something, it is very common to use ので; this is because there is a clear, logical reason for why something happened. On the other hand, you may use から if it is based on personal beliefs or feelings rather than concrete evidence or reasoning.

• 雨が降っているので家にいる

  [ame ga futte iru node] ie ni iru

  It's raining so I will stay at home

Here, the speaker has no control over whether it will rain or not and they also believe that the information they have provided is justified. It is not a matter that the speaker thinks it is raining, the fact is, it is raining and not wanting to get wet is perfectly reasonable.

— Using ので

• ので is considered softer and indirect.
• ので places focus on the conclusion rather than highlighting the cause.
• ので is often used in formal writing and speaking.
• ので has a more objective tone.
• ので cannot always be used to express opinions and feelings.
• なので should never be used to start a sentence.
• ですので should not be used to start a formal sentence.
• ですので should not be used to start an informal sentence except in certain situations.

— Using から

• から is more definitive and direct.
• から is often used for speaking.
• から has a more subjective tone.
• から can be used to express opinions and feelings.
• から places focus on making the reason clear.

Additional Notes

Related Lessons and References

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