それから (それから) — Japanese Vocabulary

それから — それから (sorekara)

Part of speech: conj JLPT level: N4 Reading: それから (sorekara) Meaning: and then, after that

Word Breakdown

それから is a compound word derived from the demonstrative pronoun それ (sore - that) and the particle から (kara - from/after).

それ (sore): That (referring to something previously mentioned or distant from the speaker).
から (kara): From (indicating a starting point in time or sequence).

Together, the phrase literally translates to "from that," functioning as a temporal connector to indicate a sequence of events.

All Readings

As this word is written entirely in hiragana, there are no kanji readings to list. It is standard to write this word in kana rather than using kanji (such as 其れから), which is considered archaic or overly formal.

Example Sentences

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
まず宿題をして、それからテレビを見ます。	まずしゅくだいをして、それからテレビをみます。	Mazu shukudai o shite, sorekara terebi o mimasu.	First I will do my homework, and then I will watch TV.
彼は朝食を食べ、それから学校へ行った。	かれはちょうしょくをたべ、それからがっこうへいった。	Kare wa chōshoku o tabe, sorekara gakkō e itta.	He ate breakfast, and then went to school.
昨日は映画を見て、それから友達と食事をした。	きのうはえいがをみて、それからともだちとしょくじをした。	Kinō wa eiga o mite, sorekara tomodachi to shokuji o shita.	Yesterday I watched a movie, and then had a meal with a friend.
銀行へ行って、それから郵便局へ寄ります。	ぎんこうへいって、それからゆうびんきょくへよります。	Ginkō e itte, sorekara yūbinkyoku e yorimasu.	I will go to the bank, and then stop by the post office.
準備をしてください。それから出発しましょう。	じゅんびをしてください。それからしゅっぱつしましょう。	Junbi o shite kudasai. Sorekara shuppatsu shimashō.	Please get ready. And then, let's depart.
彼はまず謝った。それから理由を説明した。	かれはまずあやまった。それからりゆうをせつめいした。	Kare wa mazu ayamatta. Sorekara riyū o setsumei shita.	He apologized first. And then, he explained the reason.
私は大学を卒業した。それから日本に来た。	わたしはだいがくをそつぎょうした。それからにほんにきた。	Watashi wa daigaku o sotsugyō shita. Sorekara Nihon ni kita.	I graduated from university. And then, I came to Japan.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
そして	そして	soshite	and (also)
それから先	それからさき	sorekara saki	from then on
その後	そのあと	sono ato	after that
次に	つぎに	tsugi ni	next
それに	それに	sore ni	besides, in addition
それで	それで	sore de	because of that, so
それでも	それでも	sore demo	even so, but
それなら	それなら	sore nara	if that's the case

Common Mistakes

❌ それから + [negative consequence] → ✓ それで + [negative consequence]

Explanation: Sorekara is used for sequential time. If you want to say "I studied hard, so I passed," use sorede (causality) rather than sorekara (sequence).

❌ それから + [noun] → ✓ その後の + [noun]

Explanation: Sorekara is a conjunction used to connect clauses. You cannot use it as an adjective to modify a noun. Use sono ato no (the [noun] after that).

In Context — Mini Dialogue

A: 今日は何をしますか？ (Kyō wa nani o shimasu ka? / What are you doing today?) B: まず買い物に行きます。それから図書館へ行きます。 (Mazu kaimono ni ikimasu. Sorekara toshokan e ikimasu. / First, I'm going shopping. And then, I'm going to the library.) A: いいですね。それからどこかへ行きますか？ (Ii desu ne. Sorekara dokoka e ikimasu ka? / That sounds nice. And then, are you going anywhere else?) B: いえ、それから家に帰ります。 (Ie, sorekara ie ni kaerimasu. / No, after that, I'm going home.)

Usage Notes

Sequential Logic: Sorekara is strictly used to indicate a chronological order of events. It implies that the first action is completed or underway before the second action begins. It is very common in instructions or describing daily routines.
Versus "Soshite": While soshite (そして) is also translated as "and," it is often used to add information or continue a narrative. Sorekara has a stronger emphasis on the passage of time or the "next step" in a sequence.
Formality: Sorekara is neutral and appropriate for both casual conversation and polite speech (using the desu/masu form). It is one of the most natural ways to link sentences in Japanese, making it an essential tool for beginners to avoid "choppy" speech.