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BECAUSE IN JAPANESE
Did you know that there are quite a few ways of saying ‘because’ in Japanese?
Today, let’s have a look at how to “because” in Japanese, and by the end of this article, you should be an expert in all of them.
BECAUSE WITH から
から kara
から is used when expressing beliefs or opinions.
It’s also used when dealing with commands, invitations, or excuses. The main thing is the sentence structure.
In Japanese, the order is reason and then result, rather than the English way of result and then reason.
So “I can’t go because I’m busy” in English would be “Because I’m busy I can’t go” in Japanese.
The sentence structures are the following:
| Nouns → add だから dakara | Na adjectives → add だから dakara | I adjectives → add から kara | Verbs → add から kara |
Let’s check out some examples below to solidify our understanding.
| noun | na adjective | i adjective | verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大事なテストだから頑張る。 | あの人は静かだから、話したことがない。 | 恥ずかしいからしたくない。 | 仕事があるからあなたの誕生日パーティーに行けない。 |
| Daiji na tesuto dakara ganbaru. | Ano hito ha shizuka dakara, hanashita koto ga nai. | Hazukashii kara shitakunai. | Shigoto ga aru kara anata no tanjyoubi pa-tei- ni ikenai. |
| It’s an important test so I’ll try my best. | That person is very quiet, so I haven’t ever talked to them. | I’m shy so I don’t want to do it. | I have work so I can’t go to your birthday party. |
NOTE || Often the best translation of から kara sentences ends up being “…so…” rather than “…because…”
BECAUSE WITH ので
ので node
ので and から are often interchangeable and they both follow the same grammatical rules (except なので nanode is used instead of だから dakara).
There is a nuance difference where ので is used for objective reasons or causes.
Often ので wouldn’t be used to express personal beliefs or opinions.
Note || なので nanode can be shortened to んので nnode. For example, 男んので otoko n node.
| noun | na-adjective | i-adjective | verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 僕は男なのでそんなことしない。 | 景色がきれいなのでここに住みたい。 | 暑かったのでプールに行った。 | 雪が降ったので学校は休校しました。 |
| Boku ha otoko na node sonna koto shinai. | Keshiki ga kirei nanode koko ni sumitai. | Atsukatta node pu-ru ni itta. | Yuki ga futta node gakkou ha kyuukou shimashita. |
| I don’t do those sorts of things because I’m a man. | The view is beautiful so I want to live here. | It was hot today so I went to the pool. | It snowed today so school was cancelled. |
BECAUSE WITH なぜなら
なぜなら nazenara
なぜならis the formal way to say “because”. It’s often put at the start of a sentence with から or ので at the end for emphasis.
Here are some useful examples to learn.
PATTERN
なぜなら + Phrase + から / ので
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| なぜならアレルギーがありますので。 | Nazenara arerugi- ga arimasu node. | Because I have an allergy. |
| なぜなら動物が大好きだからです。 | Nazenara doubutsu ga daisuki da kara desu. | It’s because I love animals. |
| 私は理科がすきです。なぜなら学校で理科は最も得意な科目だからです。 | Watashi ha rika ga suki desu. Nazenara gakkou de rika ha mottomo tokui na kamoku da kara desu. | I like science because it was my best subject at school. |
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FAQs
How many ways to say because in Japanese?
3. There are から kara, ので node and なぜならnazenara
When is から kara used?
It’s used when expressing beliefs or opinions but also when dealing with commands, invitations, or excuses.
What differences between から and ので?
Both are used interchangeably, but there is a nuance difference when のでnode is used for objective reasons or causes.
When should I use なぜなら nazenara?
なぜならnazenara is the formal way to say “because”.
Where is なぜなら placed in a sentence?
It’s often put at the start of a sentence with からkara or のでnode at the end for emphasis.
Where can I find more Japanese resources?
Our Japanese Grammar Bank has some fantastic free resources for you to check out.