から

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See also: がら

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese (kara, origin, source), from Proto-Japonic *kara. Cognate with Miyako から (kara), Okinawan から (kara).

Pronunciation

Particle

から (kara

  1. from, out of
    (とう)(きょう)から(かえ)った
    Tōkyō kara kaetta.
    He returned from Tokyo.
    ずっと(まえ)から(はなし)
    zutto mae kara no hanashi
    a conversation from way back
    ()()(しつ)からふしぎ(たび)
    chikashitsu kara no fushigi na tabi
    a mysterious journey (starting) from the basement
  2. after (following -form verbs)
    ()わってから()ください
    Owatte kara, kite kudasai.
    Please come by after finishing .
  3. since (following -form verbs)
    (とう)(きょう)()んでいてから()(ほん)()(りゅう)(ちょう)(はな)します
    Tōkyō ni sunde ite kara, nihongo o ryūchō ni hanashimasu.
    Since living in Tokyo, I speak Japanese fluently.
  4. because (following adjectives and verbs); as a result of
    Synonym: (Chūgoku, Shikoku, Kyūshū) けん (ken)
    (にく)()べないからラーメン()()
    Niku o tabenai kara, rāmen wa dame da.
    Because he doesn't eat meat, ramen is a bad idea.
    (わたし)いるから(しん)(ぱい)ないでしょう
    Watashi ga iru kara shinpai nai deshō?
    Because I'm here, there's no need to worry, right?
  5. beginning with
    ()(ほん)から(はじ)める
    kihon kara hajimeru
    begin with the basics
  6. from; beginning with
    Coordinate term: まで (made, until)
    (いち)から(きゅう)までの数字(すうじ)
    ichi kara kyū made no sūji
    the numbers 1 to 9
    (いち)から(きゅう)使(つか)
    ichi kara kyū o tsukau
    use the numbers 1 to 9
    東京(とうきょう)から大阪(おおさか)まで
    Tōkyō kara Ōsaka made
    from Tokyo to Osaka

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of から – see the following entries.
1
something empty
ineffectual
false
S
shell, crust, chaff
husk, hull
S
element in compounds, referring to things imported from China or from other foreign lands
foreign lands in general
Short for 唐織り (karaori): silk fabrics imported from China; an exquisitely-embroidered woman's kimono; a costume made in the karaori style used in Noh theater
(formal, dated) the name of China during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE).
3
element in compounds, referring to things imported from China or Korea, or from other foreign lands
(historical) shortly before and during the Edo period, foreign lands in general
the Gaya confederacy
(archaic) the Korean peninsula
(archaic) China, especially during the Han dynasty
伽羅
(historical) the Gaya confederacy: a grouping of smaller states on the southern end of the Korean peninsula, roughly dating to 42-532 CE
Alternative spellings
加羅, 迦羅
(This term, から (kara), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as から, see Category:Japanese kanji read as から.)