Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 5: 2/12

のでBecause, So, Since, The reason being

Structure

Verb + ので + Phrase
[い]Adjective + ので + Phrase
[な]Adjective + + ので + Phrase
Noun + + ので + Phrase

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Particle

  • Word Type

    Conjunctive Particle

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    Standard

About ので

ので is a Japanese grammar structure called a conjunction particle. This means that it connects two parts of a sentence 'logically'. The connection that ので makes between (A), and (B), is similar to から, meaning that it is often translated as 'because', or 'since'.

When used after な-Adjectives or nouns, な must precede ので.

When used as 'since', ので puts emphasis on the sentence as a whole, or on the effects caused. It then examines those reasons objectively (in a way that is based on facts, rather than feelings or opinions). から tends to be more subjective, and can sound much more vague when used as 'because'.

We can see here that から is not quite as strong as ので. This relates back to the base meaning of から being 'from', rather than 'because'.

Caution

ので can sometimes be seen as んで, which is a more casual variation. Also, unlike many grammar points that connect to verbs, ので may be used with the ます form. This is something that is unique to conjunction particles.

  • (いま)テストがあるんで(あと)電話(でんわ)します
    Because I have a test now, I will call you later.
  • 明日(あした)(きゃく)()ますので掃除(そうじ)します
    Since a guest is coming tomorrow, I am going to clean.

Examples

--:--

    (わたし)寿司(すし)()ではないので()ない

    I don't like sushi, so I don't eat it.

    今日(きょう)時間(じかん)がないので明日(あした)漢字(かんじ)(おし)ます

    Because we don't have time today, I will teach you kanji tomorrow.

    今日(きょう)先生(せんせい)(やす)なので授業(じゅぎょう)くなった

    Since the teacher has the day off today, classes were cancelled.

    土曜日(どようび)なので旅行(りょこう)()たい

    Because it is Saturday, I want to go on a trip.

    今日(きょう)一月(いちがつ)二十日(はつか)なので(かれ)誕生日(たんじょうび)です

    Since today is January 20th, it is his birthday.

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      ので – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (22 in total)

      • Jake

        Jake

        because・so・since・the reason being…

        Structure

        • Verb + ので
        • いAdj + ので
        • Noun・ + ので
        • なAdj・ + ので

        [objective cause/reason・emphasis on the effect/sentence as a whole]

        View on Bunpro

      • artmales

        artmales

        今日は先生が休みなので、授業がなくなった

        Is “なくなった” the same as “なくなった”?

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        In this case, both examples are basically the same thing, but the nuance lies in the verb なる (past tense なった), which means ‘to become’.
        授業がなくなった translates as “there became no lessons” which we obviously wouldn’t usually say in English but is perfectly natural in Japanese.
        授業がなかった is the most simple way of saying it and basically means “there were no lessons”.

      • artmales

        artmales

        Thank you! It explains my doubt in this matter However I have another question:

        Why なる becomes “なくなった”? According to conjugation table from
        https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/57
        past negative is “ならなかった”. Feel free to just provide link to proper lesson

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        Hi
        This is because you’re not using the negative form of なる. If you said 授業がならなかった, you would be saying ‘the lessons did not become’, which would be strange as you aren’t saying what they didn’t become.
        For example 授業はバイトにならなかった means ‘lessons did not become a part-time job’. I’m not sure of an instance where this would be appropriate but I’m sure one probably exists

        なく is a conjugation of ない, which means ‘not’.
        なった is the past tense of なる, which means ‘to become’.

        So your example sentence means ‘they became not’, which is why the positive form is used instead of the negative form. They literally BECAME (positive) not there.

        Hopefully that makes sense anyway.

      • artmales

        artmales

        Now I got it Thank you very much for in-depth explanation

      • vincentvandoggo

        vincentvandoggo

        私わたしは寿司すし が好すきではない ので 、食たべない。
        Shouldn’t it be “なので” since “好き” is a -な adjective?

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        No, you would only put that in if it came directly after the 好き.
        寿司が好きなので食べる。
        寿司が好きではないので食べない。

      • vincentvandoggo

        vincentvandoggo

        Ok,thanks, i was confused because technically speaking “じゃない” isn’t a verb or an -い adjective, right? so i didn’t know this rule existed.

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        It’s a verb.

        ない/ありません is the negative form of the verb ある/あります - the verb ‘to be.’

        It’s also worth mentioning that 好き is an adjective, whereas in English we generally use it as the verb ‘to like’.
        In Japanese, 〜が好き literally means “〜 is like [by someone]”

      • vincentvandoggo

        vincentvandoggo

        oh ok, got it, thanks for the answer.

      • twotwo

        twotwo

        Is it ‘wrong’ to think of this as a conjunction? Bunpro, seems to list it as a post-particle / suffix kind of thing. But watching the Japanese Ammo video in the readings, it can also be used at the start of a phrase. It feels like a conjunction to me, but (big disclaimer), I’m viewing from a very anglicized bias. So how exactly would a more native speaker view it?

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey

        Very interesting question! ので is considered to be conjunction (接続助詞)that expresses reason/cause. Other conjunctions are から、けれども、が、のに and so on.

        I hope it helps
        Cheers

      • twotwo

        twotwo

        Ah ok, thank you! This helps a lot.

      • smearedink

        smearedink

        <...
      • Marcus

        Marcus

      • Megumin

        Megumin

        My guess is that it’s because it’s asking for “emphasis on the effect”.

        Others feel free if I have this wrong.

      • EdBunpro

        EdBunpro

        Lucky for you, we just had this discussion like two weeks ago. Not sure if the discussions and links here will help shed light on this (very common) annoyance, let me know if you’re still confused!

      • Marcus

        Marcus

        Thank you both @Megumin and @EdBunpro ! Much appreciated!

      • nekoyama

        nekoyama

        Also 太い is an い adjective so it could only be 太いから, but not だから.

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