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JLPT N5Conjunctions

ので— Reason / Cause (soft, polite)

Connects a reason to a result, like から (because), but softer and more polite. It presents the cause as an objective, natural consequence rather than a personal excuse.

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Pro lessonUNIT 42 · CONJUNCTIONS

Structure · 形

[Reason clause] + ので + [Result]

Examples · 例文

  • 電車が遅れたので、遅刻しました。

    Densha ga okureta node, chikoku shimashita.

    Because the train was delayed, I was late.

    電車が遅れた (the train was delayed, objective fact) + ので + 遅刻しました (I was late).

  • 暑いので、窓を開けてください。

    Atsui node, mado o akete kudasai.

    It's hot, so please open the window.

    暑い (plain form) + ので — presents the heat as an objective reason for the request.

  • 明日はテストがあるので、たくさん勉強します。

    Ashita wa tesuto ga aru node, takusan benkyou shimasu.

    I have a test tomorrow, so I'll study a lot.

    テストがある (there is a test) + ので + 勉強します — the reason flows naturally into the result.

Usage notes · 注意

  • な bridge: ので comes from の + で, so nouns and な-adjectives take な before it: 静かなので (because it's quiet), 日曜日なので (because it's Sunday). Never 日曜日ので.
  • Because it sounds objective and soft, ので is preferred in polite requests and explanations.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ので is tested against.

vsから

から states a reason more directly/subjectively and is common in casual speech and firm assertions; ので is softer and more polite, framing the cause as natural fact.

vsのに

のに means 'even though / despite' (contrary result), whereas ので means 'because' (expected result) — do not confuse them.

More conjunctions

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