から (kara) — Starting Point, Origin, & Reason
Has two main roles: (1) marks the starting point in time or space ('from'); (2) works as a conjunction meaning 'because / so', giving a subjective reason for an action or state.
Structure
[Place/Time] から | [Reason clause] から、[Result]
Examples
9時から働きます。
Kuji kara hatarakimasu.
I work from 9 o'clock.
9時 (9 o'clock) から (from = starting time)
大阪から来ました。
Oosaka kara kimashita.
I came from Osaka.
大阪 (Osaka) から (from = spatial origin)
忙しいから、行けません。
Isogashii kara, ikemasen.
Because I'm busy, I can't go.
忙しい (busy) から (because) — reason clause first
• Reason Nuance (から vs ので): から states a personal, subjective reason or justification and pairs naturally with requests, commands, and opinions ('It's cold, so close the window!'). • Material Origin: Used when a raw material undergoes an invisible/chemical change (ワインはブドウから作る - wine is made from grapes). • Clause Order: The reason always comes first: [Reason] から、[Result].
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones から is tested against.
vs ので (because)
から gives a subjective reason and can sound assertive (good for opinions, commands, excuses); ので presents the reason as an objective, softer, more polite cause and is preferred in formal or considerate speech.
vs まで (endpoint)
から marks the START of a range ('from'); まで marks the END ('until/up to'). They pair as から…まで ('from…to').
vs で (material)
As 'made from', から is used when the material is transformed and no longer recognizable (米から作る); で is used when the material stays visibly the same (木で作る).
More particles
- が (ga) — Subject Marker & Exhaustive Listing
- を (o) — Direct Object & Traversal
- に (ni) — Target, Time, and Existence Location
- で (de) — Context of Action (Location, Means, Condition)
- と (to) — And (Exhaustive), With, and Quotation
- か (ka) — Question, Or, and Uncertain Identity
- の (no) — Possession, Modification, & Nominalization
- も (mo) — Also, Too, Both/And, Emphasized Quantity
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