から

See also: がら

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ka̠ɾa̠]

Particle

から • (kara)

from, out of
東(とう)京(きょう)から帰(かえ)った。
Tōkyō kara kaetta.
He returned from Tokyo.

ずっと前(まえ)からの話(はなし)
zutto mae kara no hanashi
a conversation from way back

地(ち)下(か)室(しつ)からのふしぎな旅(たび)
chikashitsu kara no fushigi na tabi
a mysterious journey (starting) from the basement
after (following て-form verbs)
終(お)わってから、来(き)てください。
Owatte kara, kite kudasai.
Please come by after finishing [after you've finished].
since (following て-form verbs)
東(とう)京(きょう)に住(す)んでいてから、日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)を流(りゅう)暢(ちょう)に話(はな)します。
Tōkyō ni sunde ite kara, nihongo o ryūchō ni hanashimasu.
Since living in Tokyo, I speak Japanese fluently.
because, (following adjectives and verbs) as a result of; therefore, so
Synonym: (Chūgoku, Shikoku, Kyūshū) けん (ken)

肉(にく)を食(た)べないから、ラーメンは駄(だ)目(め)だ。
Niku o tabenai kara, rāmen wa dame da.
Because he doesn't eat meat, ramen is a bad idea.

私(わたし)がいるから心(しん)配(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?
beginning with
基(き)本(ほん)から始(はじ)める
kihon kara hajimeru
begin with the basics
from; beginning with
Coordinate term: まで (made, “until”)

１(いち)から９(きゅう)までの数字(すうじ)
ichi kara kyū made no sūji
the numbers 1 to 9

１(いち)から９(きゅう)を使(つか)う
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.

【空】1	[prefix] something empty [prefix] ineffectual [prefix] false

【殻】S	[noun] shell, crust, chaff [noun] husk, hull

【唐】S

[prefix] element in compounds, referring to things imported from China or from other foreign lands

[noun] foreign lands in general

[noun] 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

[proper noun] (formal, dated) the name of China during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE).

【漢】3

[prefix] element in compounds, referring to things imported from China or Korea, or from other foreign lands

[noun] (historical) shortly before and during the Edo period, foreign lands in general

[proper noun] the Gaya confederacy

[proper noun] (archaic) the Korean peninsula

[proper noun] (archaic) China, especially during the Han dynasty

【伽羅】	[proper noun] (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.)