What does “kara” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers sometimes use the word, “kara”, as a noun to refer to emptiness or the outer surface of something. In this blog post, however, I will explain it as a case particle which more often appears in Japanese daily conversations. Native speakers use it mainly in three different ways, I think: to mean ‘from’ to say who starts something; also to mean ‘from’ to say when or where something starts; to mean ‘because’ to give the reason for something. I will explain these three types of “kara” with example sentences. It’s also worth mentioning here that grammatically this particle can work in more than three ways, but all the usages are based on more or less the same concept: indicating the start of something. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- “Kara” to say who starts something
- “Kara” to say when something starts
- “Kara” to give the reason for something
- Summary
“Kara” to say who starts something
Let me start with “kara” used to say who starts something.
- kara – から : a case particle used to say who starts something. This is often translated into English as “from”.
Native speakers normally use this type of “kara” after a noun referring to a person or people to state who starts an action. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the usage of this particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “from”, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this type through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say who starts an action with “kara”
boku kara kanojo ni ii masu – 僕から彼女に言います (ぼくからかのじょにいいます)
I will tell her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is mainly used by boys and young males.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle to say to whom an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say to whom the action described by the following verb is directed.
- ii – 言い (いい) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to tell’, ‘to say’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “ii” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of this type of “kara”. In this example, it works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence and to indicate who starts the action. The Japanese sentence has been translated as just “I will tell her”, but it contains the strong meaning of ‘from me’.
“Kara” to say when something starts
Next, let me explain “kara” used to say when something starts.
- kara – から : a case particle used to say when something starts. This can also be used to say where something starts. This is often translated into English as “from”.
Native speakers use this type of “kara” after a noun referring to a point in time or place to state when or where something starts. Like the last type explained above, the usage of this type is very similar to that of the English preposition, “from”. Then, let me explain how to use this through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say when something starts with “kara”
ashita kara gakkou ga hajimari masu – 明日から学校が始まります (あしたからがっこうがはじまります)
School starts tomorrow.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to make the subject in the sentence.
- hajimari – 始まり (はじまり) : one conjugation of the verb, “hajimaru”, which means ‘to start’ or ‘to begin’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of this type. In this example, it works after “ashita” which means ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese to state when school starts. When we want to indicate the start or beginning of a certain time period or the place something starts in Japanese, this “kara” is a very, very good option.
The Japanese sentence has been translated as just “school starts tomorrow”, but it contains the meaning of ‘from tomorrow’. The case particle implies the continuity of an action or event. Perhaps, the translation should’ve been “school starts from tomorrow”, it would sound less natural though.
“Kara” to give the reason for something
Lastly, let me explain “kara” used to give the reason for something.
- kara – から : a case particle used to give the reason for something. This is often translated into English as “because”, “since”, “as”, or such.
Native speakers use this type of “kara” after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb in a sentence to give the reason for something. The word preceding this particle is normally in its plain form; it doesn’t need to be conjugated. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to give the reason for something with “kara”
kyou wa tenki ga waui kara – 今日は天気が悪いから (きょうはてんきがわるいから)
Because the weather is bad today.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “kyou” to put a focus on it.
- tenki – 天気 (てんき) : a noun meaning ‘weather’ in Japanese.
- warui – 悪い (わるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘bad’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of this type of “kara”. In the example, it works after the i-adjective, “warui”, to give the reason for something, why the speaker cannot do something. Reasons and causes are the starts of results and effects. So, the concept of “kara” is very suitable.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kara” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kara – から : a case particle used to say who starts something. This is often translated into English as “from”. Native speakers normally use this after a noun referring to a person or people to state who starts an action. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the usage of this particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “from”.
- kara – から : a case particle used to say when something starts. This can also be used to say where something starts. This is often translated into English as “from”. Native speakers use this after a noun referring to a point in time or place to state when or where something starts. Like the last type explained above, the usage of this type is very similar to that of the English preposition, “from”.
- kara – から : a case particle used to give the reason for something. Reasons and causes are the starts of results and effects. So, the concept of “kara” is very suitable. This type is often translated into English as “because”, “since”, “as”, or such. Native speakers use this after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb in a sentence to give the reason for something. The word preceding this particle is normally in its plain form; it doesn’t need to be conjugated.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.