What does “sorekara” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “sorekara” to mean ‘then’, ‘after that’, ‘in addition’, or just ‘and’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this conjunction as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “sorekare” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “sorekara”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “sorekara”.
- sorekara – それから : a conjunction meaning ‘then’, ‘after that’, ‘in addition’ or just ‘and’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this conjunction mainly in two different ways: to make a chronological order between two sentences; to introduce parallelism to two words or phrases. Later I will explain both through example sentences.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this conjunction more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
What does “sorekara” literally mean in Japanese?
“Sorekara” consists of the following two components:
- sore – それ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something not close to the speaker. This is often translated into English as “that”.
- kara – から : a case particle often used to say where something starts. This is often translated into English as “from”.
These two components tell us that the formed conjunction literally means ‘from that’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still very understandable, I think. “From that” can work well to indicate a starting point in time and to make a chronological order between sentences.
When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “sorekara” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sorekara” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “then” in Japanese
mazu kanojo ga koko ni ki ta. Sorekara kare mo ki ta – まず彼女がここに来た。それから彼も来た (まずかのじょがここにきた。それからかれもきた)
First she came here. Then, he came too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentences.
- mazu – まず : an adverb meaning ‘first’ or such in Japanese.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the first sentence.
- koko – ここ : a pronoun used to refer to a place close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘here’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “koko” to indicate where she came.
- ki – 来 (き) : one conjugation of the verb, “kuru“, which means ‘to come’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “ki” to make its past tense form, “ki ta”.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the second sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “sorekara”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the second sentence to make the chronological order between two.
Example #2: another usage of “sorekara”
watashi tachi wa kansha sorekara sonkei wo wasure nai – 私達は感謝それから尊敬を忘れない (わたしたちはかんしゃそれからそんけいをわすれない)
We don’t forget appreciation and respect.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kansha – 感謝 (かんしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘appreciation’ in Japanese.
- sonkei – 尊敬 (そんけい) : a noun meaning ‘respect’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kansha sorekara sonkei” to make the object in the sentence.
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “wasureru“, which means ‘to forget’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.
This is another typical usage of “sorekara”. In this example, it works between two nouns, “kansha” and “sonkei”, to make the parallel expression which means ‘appreciation and respect’ in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sorekara” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- sorekara – それから : a conjunction meaning ‘then’, ‘after that’, ‘in addition’ or just ‘and’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this mainly in two different ways: to make a chronological order between two sentences; to introduce parallelism to two words or phrases. This conjunction consists of two components, “sore” and “kara”, and literally means ‘from that’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still very understandable, I think. “From that” can work well to indicate a starting point in time and to make a chronological order between sentences.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
