ですから
Meaning in Englishtherefore
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
What does ですから mean? It is a polite conjunction that marks a logical consequence, meaning 'therefore' or 'so'. It connects a preceding factual statement to a following result or justification, and is commonly used in spoken and written Japanese to introduce a conclusion or explanation after a previous sentence, especially in polite contexts.
Main meanings
- Consequence marker following a statement: indicates that what was stated leads to the following clause.
- Polite bridging device: used in formal or polite speech; less abrupt than だから or それで in some contexts.
- Reason-explanation linkage: introduces justification or reasoning after presenting facts.
How to use it
Used in polite speech and formal writing to express a consequence or justification, typically following a statement that ends with です or でした, and introducing a following clause that states the result or reason; common in explanations, reports, and instructional contexts to bridge facts and conclusions.
Variants and close terms
- だから (dakara) – informal, casual equivalence meaning 'therefore/so'
- ですので (desu node) or (desu no de) – formal alternative to ですから
- それで (sore de) – colloquial 'and then/and so'
- それゆえ (sore yue) – literary/formal 'hence'
- したがって (shitagatte) – academic/formal 'consequently'
Etymology
です + から (desu + kara) with the polite copula and the particle meaning 'from' or 'because', combining to form a connective meaning 'therefore'
Word class
Conjunction (接続詞)