から
から
hepburn kara
from, since, because
Part of speech · particle / conjunction
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 九時から始まります。It starts from 9.
- 友達からプレゼントをもらいました。I got a present from a friend.
Collocations
から (kara, from / because)〜から〜まで (kara〜made, from X to Y)これから (kore kara, from now)〜だから (dakara, therefore)なぜなら (naze nara, because — formal)
Mnemonic
から kara is a core polysemic particle with three axes: ① spatial / temporal origin ("from"): "kuji kara" (from 9), "Toukyou kara" (from Tokyo); ② source / giver ("from"): "tomodachi kara" (from a friend); ③ reason / cause ("because"): "ame da kara ikanai" (won’t go because it’s raining). Pair with made (until / to): "kara〜made" is the default range expression. Korean uses different morphemes for "from / from / because," while Japanese unifies them under kara — one particle, three functions. Reason split: kara (subjective, strong) vs node (objective, softer). PATCH-4 v3 note: understanding kara polysemy is core for learners.
Quick check
In "ame da kara ikanai," what does kara mean?