The Starting Point Marker から
In this lesson, we will learn about the case particle から and how it marks starting points, translating as “from” into English.
The Starting Point Marker から
起点を表す「から」
The primary usage of the case particle から is to mark a starting point in all sorts of capacities. For starters, we will examine sentences in which it denotes the “starting point” in the following environments. While this list is not all inclusive, you will quickly see just how versatile から is just like its English equivalent “from.”
- Place of Departure
- Starting Point in Time/Space
- In Order Of/Starting With…
- Starting Direction
- Starting Price
- Starting Point of a Range
- Starting State Before Change
- Starting Materials → Means
In most of these environments, から can be safely translated as “from,” but there are times in which other prepositions such as “at” may be more appropriate, particularly when denoting a starting point in time without mentioning the corresponding end point in time.
Place of DeparturE (Spatial Starting Point)
To simplify things, starting points in space (location) marked by から will be denoted by the letter E. This starting point (E) can represent several interrelated things: a place of departure, a starting point in time, a starting direction, and even the source of a phenomenon. In the following examples, notice also what other complements (elements) of the sentence appear.
Sentence Structure: Eから[V = Intransitive Verb]
1. 上野駅から電車で向かいます。
I’m heading (there) by train from Ueno Station.
2. うちの猫がソファの下から出てきた。
My cat came out from under the sofa.
Sentence Structure: E1から（E2に・へ）[V=Intransitive Verb]
Whether E2 is stated or not, から marks the starting point for intransitive verbs which pertain to moving between to points in space.
3. 太陽は東から昇ります。
The sun rises in1 the east.
4. 壁と床の隙間から水が漏れている。
Water is leaking from cracks in the walls and floor.
5. ヨーロッパからブラジルへ船で行きました。
I went to Brazil from Europe by boat.
6. ここから先立入禁止！
Literally: Entry forbidden from this point onward!
Do not enter.
Sentence Structure: Eから・を[V = Intransitive Verb]
When the intransitive verb predicate paired with から pertains to the grammatical subject separated/separating from a locale, there is interchangeability between から and the transition marker を (see below). First off, we will see how から is used in this sense to denote that the subject is removed from location E.
7. 震源は仙台から数キロ離れています。
The epicenter is a couple kilometers from Sendai.
8. ロバから降りました。
I got off the donkey.
9. ロンドンのヒースロー空港へ向けて成田から発ちました。
We left from Narita headed to London’s Heathrow Airport.
Sentence Structure: Eから[V = Intransitive Verb]
In this sentence structure, E (location) happens to be the direction from which the intransitive predicate occurs. These predicates are non-volitional, which means the speaker, nor the subject in question, has any control over the phenomenon occurring, even if they are still involved (Exs. 11-12).
10. 初日の出が水平線から現れた。
The first sunrise of the year appeared over2 the horizon.
11. ここから子供たちの様子が見えます。
I can see how the children are doing from here.
12. 踏切の音が外から聞こえます。
I can hear the sound of the railroad crossing (from) outside.
Sentence Structure: E1から(E2まで)V
In a broader context, the exact opposite of the starting point marker から is the particle まで, which is the “to/until” in the pattern “from E1 to E2.” For this far broader sentence structure, all sorts of verbal predicates (intransitive, transitive, copular, even adjectival) can be conceptualized as having an effect which covers a range. First, we will look at ranges which pertain to distance, but in reality, the two points of said range are not limited to distance, as we will see next.
13. この川からあの山まで走れ！
Run from this river to the mountain over there!
14. 東京から大阪まで何キロですか？
How many kilometers is it from Tokyo to Osaka?
15. １０ページから３５ページまで読んできてください。
Please come having read from Pgs. 10-35.
16. 一階から最上階までゆったり見て回りました。
I took my time looking around from the first to the top floor.
sTARTING pOINT OF Any rANGE (E1~E2 = Points in Time/sEQUENCE/oRDER…)
Now that we have seen から used to indicate the start of a range between two locations, it is now time to look at examples in which E1 and E2 are not necessarily locations. The reference points could pertain to things, time periods, rank, etc.
Sentence Structure: E1から(E2まで)V
17. 社殿からホース格納箱までが新しくなっていました。
(Everything), from the shrine building(s) to the hose storage box(es) had been renovated.
18. その記事を隅から隅まで読みました。
I read that article from beginning to the end.
19. 二歳から六歳までの子供がいました。
There were children from two to six years old.
20. カナダは紫外線が強いので日焼け止めは必須で、準備ができた子供から3順番に外に出ていきます。
The UV rays are strong in Canada, so sunscreen is essential; children who are ready go outside in orderly fashion.
21. カバンの値段は１万円からです。
Bags start at 10,000 yen.
22. 市場は午前１０時から午後１０まで開いています。
The market is open from 10 AM to 10 PM.
23. 来年から開始します。
We will start4 next year.
24. きょうからお仲間だ！
We’re buds starting today!
25. 端直美さんはアルバイトのウェイトレスから支配人になりました。
Naomi Hashi went from being a part-time waitress to being the manager.
26. ハーバート・フーヴァーは商務長官から大統領になりました。
Herbert Hoover went from being the Secretary of Commerce to being the president.
27. シェパードは子犬から育てて躾けるのは大変ですか。
Is raising and training a (German) shepherd from a puppy difficult?
While we have already seen instances in which the translation “from” does not necessarily match up well with から, “from” is usually not the correct translation for it when only the first part of a temporal range is stated. In this situation, “at” or “since” may be more appropriate.
28. 日本語の授業は朝９時から始まります。
Japanese class begins at 9 o’clock in the morning.
29. 会議は３時から始まります。
The meeting will begin at 3 o’ clock.
30. 生後間もなく5から 、赤ちゃんは泣くことで「気持ちわるい！」「お腹すいた！」と知らせてくれます。
Not long after birth birth, babies will cry to let (us) know, “I don’t feel well,” “I’m hungry!”
Starting State
Much like changing rank, starting as one thing then becoming another involves an initial (starting) state, which is marked by から. This original point may not always be accompanied with “from” when translating the sentence back into English, but the idea behind から is the same as we have seen.
31. 水から氷に姿が変わる間、水の温度は〇℃のまま変わらない。
While water is turning into ice, the temperature of the water remains constant at 0℃.
32. 土曜日の天気予報が曇りから雨に変わりました。
Saturday’s weather forecast changed from “cloudy” to “rain.”
33. 子供から社会人になっても人を見下して馬鹿にする人が必ずいました。
Even as I went from being a child to a working adult, there were always people who looked down and made fun of others.
34. オタマジャクシからカエルに成長したのですが、一日で死んでしまいました。
It grew from a tadpole to a frog, but it ended up dying in a day.
Starting Materials → Means
The case particle から may even represent “from” as in marking the means of establishing something. This broad understanding of “establishment” can be pragmatically applied to making things, what something consists of, etc. Common verbs that this usage is seen with include 作る (to make) and 成る (to be made up of).
35a. スパゲッティは小麦粉から作られます。
Spaghetti is made from flour.
36. ピザを生地から作りました。
I made pizza from scratch (dough).
37. 日本は北海道、本州、九州、四国という4つの大きい島からなっています。
Japan consists of four large islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.
This usage of the case particle から is interchangeable6 with the case particle で for indicating method, but the emphasis placed on the role of the noun(s) involved differs between the two, with から focusing on “from” which something comes about, whereas で marks the noun(s) as the instruments/tools used to bring about the result.
38. 一般的に、パンは小麦粉｛から・で｝出来ています。
Generally, bread is made [from/of] flour.
Source of…
Much like how we saw in Exs. 10-12, the case particle から may indicate from where a phenomenon can be perceived. In reality, this logic can be extended to various other predicates. Three important sentence structures which we have yet to see include:
- B (agent) から + A (subject) + V [Intransitive Verb]
- B (agent) から・に + A (subject) + V [Transitive Verb (Giving Verb)]
- Indirect Object から + Direct Object を + V [Transitive Verb]
※As is still the general rule in Japanese grammar, while the predicate of the main clause inevitably appears at the end of the sentence, the other complements (elements) of the sentence may float around depending on their perceived importance to the speaker.
Sentence Structure: B (agent) から + A (subject) + V [Intransitive Verb]
When an agent (B) extends an action that affects the listener (subject = A), we see that から is used to mark the agent as the source from which said extension occurs.
A very practical application of this logic is describing the origin of phone calls.
39. 鈴木さんから電話です。
(Incoming) call from Suzuki-san.
40. 注文していない商品が中国から届きました。
Merchandise I hadn’t even ordered arrived from China.
41. 全く身に覚えのない携帯番号から電話がかかりました。
I got a call from a mobile number I have no recollection of whatsoever.
Sentence Structure: B (agent) から・に + A (subject) + V [Transitive Verb (Giving Verb)]
In this sentence structure, the transitive verb serving as the predicate indicates that something, whether it be a physical item, information, etc., can be perceived as being transferred to another person. When emphasizing that the agent is the ultimate source of that transfer, the case particle から is chosen.
42. その話は先生から聞きました。
I heard about that from (our) teacher.
However, the typical indirect object=agent marker in a transitive sentence in Japanese grammar is the case particle に. This results in interchangeability between the two particles in this context. Typically, unless emphasis is intended on the “source” of the matter, に is preferred. This becomes problematic with the verb for “to receive” in Japanese, as in English, “from” is the go-to preposition, which imposes emphasis on who the giver is upon receiving something.
43. 彼氏｛から・に｝プレゼントをもらった。
I received a gift from my boyfriend.
Various factors affect which particle is ultimately most natural in this environment, and so we will revisit the topic later.
Source = Cause/Judgment Calls
Another application of the case particle から is indicating the “source” (cause) of some result or judgment call. In this sense, から may translate as “from” or “due to.”
44. 不注意からくる失敗は責任が大きい。
You are greatly responsible for failure from carelessness.
45. 仕事に対しての責任感から辞職できない人もいます。
There are also people who can’t resign due to a sense of responsibility toward their job.
Departure: を vs から
Earlier in this lesson, we learned that there is interchangeability between the case particles から and を with intransitive verb predicates which pertain to the agent separating themselves from a locale E.
The angle from which we will view their interchangeability in this lesson will be based on the notion that から expresses the speaker’s consciousness of the agent being physically removed from the locale, whereas を expresses the speaker’s consciousness of the locale being the point of departure in the process of transitioning elsewhere.
First, let’s look at a sentence in which only から is the appropriate particle.
46. そんな友達とはこちら｛から 〇・を X｝手を切りましょう。
Be the one to cut ties with that sort of friend from your end.
Here, the agent, represented by the pronoun こちら, also stands for the locale of the separation involved; once the tie between the friend is severed from “your” end, that physical removal is palpable.
Now, let’s look at a sentence in which only を is the appropriate particle.
最近はどこの焼肉店も和牛｛を 〇・から X｝敬遠していますね。
Recently, all yakiniku restaurants are avoiding Wagyu beef.
The verb 敬遠する can be literally translated as “to respect x while in fact staying distant). As the object is not quite a starting point of separation for the agent, and because the agent is not necessarily even physically removed from the object, から is not the appropriate particle.
Now, let’s look at some sentences in which を・から are more or less interchangeable.
48. 先ほど羽田空港｛を・から｝発ちました。
I departed (from) Haneda Airport shortly ago.
49. スペイン留学以来、兄はしばらく家族｛を・から ｝離れて暮らしていました。
Since studying abroad in Spain, my older brother has been living away from our family for a while.
In Ex. 48, the use of から indicates that the agent’s departure on a journey began at the airport, while the use of を simply indicates the airport as a point of departure. In this circumstance, the nuancing is negligible. Meanwhile, in Ex. 49, what is meant by “family” can have a significant effect on the emotional take from the sentence. By using から, the physical distance separating the family from the brother is heightened, but by using を, the image of “family” becomes abstract and loaded with emotion as an effect, as the separation is felt as a consequence of “leaving the family” being a transition point in the brother’s life.
- In English, the preposition “in” is used instead of “from” because the sun is not moving. Conversely, in Japanese, because the sun is not actually moving toward another point in space, the case particle に cannot be used. Thus, から marks the point from where the action of “rising” originates, just like how “in” is being used in the English in this context. ↩︎
- In English, the sun is “over” the horizon at any point beyond where the earth and the sky meet, but as for the Japanese phrasing, から focuses on the phenomenon starting “from” that point. ↩︎
- Of the students in the class, they go outside in the order of who has finished putting on their sunscreen, and that sequence is marked by から. ↩︎
- In English, “from” does not have to accompany the verb “to start” when it is followed by the starting period of time, but the same cannot be said for Japanese, which requires that the starting point in time be marked by から. ↩︎
- So far, all instances of the case particle から have been after nouns, and in Ex. 30, we see that it is after the phrase 間もなく (shortly after), but in this context, it behaves as an adverbial noun, thus not violating the need for the case particle から to appear after a noun. ↩︎
- While largely interchangeable, certain predicates may exhibit their own restrictions. For instance, 成る (to be made up of) is only used with から, while 出来る (to be made/formed), may be paired with either から or で. ↩︎