てから means “after doing A, (do) B”. You take the て-form of the first verb, add から, and then say what happens next. It stresses order: A has to be finished before B starts. That makes it the natural choice for instructions, routines, and anything where the sequence matters — “wash your hands before you eat” is, in Japanese, “wash your hands, and then eat”.
手を洗ってから、食べてください。 — First wash your hands, then eat. てから puts a gate between the two actions.
What does てから mean?
A てから B means “B happens after A is complete”. English renders it in several ways:
- after doing A — 宿題をしてから、遊びます。 (I’ll play after I do my homework.)
- once A, then B / not until A — 電話してから来てください。 (Call before you come — only come once you’ve called.)
- since A (with a length of time) — 日本に来てから二年です。 (It’s been two years since I came to Japan.)
The first two are the core N5 meaning. The third is a very common extension: てから followed by a time span counts the time since an event.
How to form てから
Change the first verb to its て-form and add から. The second clause carries the tense and politeness for the whole sentence.
- 食べる → 食べて → 食べてから
- 行く → 行って → 行ってから
- 読む → 読んで → 読んでから
- する → して → してから
- 来る → 来て → 来てから
The て-form never shows tense. 昨日、宿題をしてから寝ました (past) and 今日は宿題をしてから寝ます (future) use exactly the same してから. Only the last verb changes.
Because the pattern depends entirely on the て-form, any て-form mistake (like 行いて instead of 行って) breaks it. Make sure your て-forms are solid first.
When is てから used?
- Instructions and rules: when step one must come before step two. 靴を脱いでから、入ってください。
- Daily routines: 朝ご飯を食べてから、学校に行きます。
- Setting conditions: “I’ll decide after I’ve seen it” — 見てから決めます。
- Counting time since an event: 〜てから + time span + です / になります.
てから works in casual and polite speech; the ending of the second verb decides the politeness.
てから example sentences
ご飯を食べてから、勉強します。
I'll study after I eat.
手を洗ってから、食べてください。
Please wash your hands before you eat.
昨日はシャワーを浴びてから寝ました。
Yesterday I took a shower and then went to bed.
母が帰ってから、晩ご飯を作ります。
I'll make dinner after my mother gets home.
よく考えてから答えてください。
Think carefully before you answer.
日本に来てから、三年になります。
It's been three years since I came to Japan.
Notice how often “before” is the best English translation. English likes “wash your hands before you eat”; Japanese describes the same order from the other side: “after washing, eat”.
Nuance of てから
Order is the point. Plain て-form linking (起きて、顔を洗って、学校に行きます) lists actions in sequence, like “and”. てから adds weight: “first A — and only then B”. Use it when the order actually matters or when you want to stress that A comes first.
Only two actions. てから links one action to the next. If you want to list three or four steps, use the plain て-form for the middle ones, or start a new sentence with それから (“and then”).
The A action is finished. The て-form here means A is complete before B begins. If A and B overlap in time, てから is wrong — for “while” you need a different pattern (ながら, at N4).
Tense lives at the end: 映画を見てから、ご飯を食べました。 Both actions are past, but only 食べました shows it. Don't try to make the て-form past.
てから vs あとで
Both mean “after”, and both are correct in many sentences. The difference is the verb form and the focus. See あとで for the full pattern.
A quick test: if you could add “first” to the English sentence, てから fits best. If you mean “some time after”, あとで is more natural. For “It’s been three years since…”, only てから works.
Common mistakes with てから
た-form + から means "because I ate". For "after", the verb must be in the て-form. See から for the reason meaning.
The て-form has no past tense. The final verb 帰りました already places the whole sentence in the past.
To count how long it has been since something happened, use てから. あとで can't do this.
Is てから on the JLPT?
Yes. てから is JLPT N5 grammar. Grammar questions test whether you can pick the correct て-form before から, and listening questions often ask which action a person will do first.
- Form the て-form correctly before から (行って, 読んで, して)
- Tell てから (after) apart from たから (because)
- Identify which action happens first in a てから sentence
- Read 〜てから + time span as "since"
Practice questions for てから
Show answer
コーヒーを飲んでから、会社に行きます。 — I'll go to the office after I have my coffee.
Show answer
靴を脱いでから、入ってください。 — Please take off your shoes before you come in.
Show answer
昨日は宿題をしてから寝ました。 — Yesterday I did my homework and then went to bed.
Show answer
日本語の勉強を始めてから、一年になります。 — It's been a year since I started studying Japanese.
Learning path for てから
Related grammar to review next
- 前に（まえに） — “before doing”; the opposite direction of てから on the same timeline.
- それから — “and then” between sentences, where てから links two clauses.
- から — reason から looks similar; the verb form before it (た vs て) changes the meaning.
- とき — “when”; another way to tie two events together in time.
- あとで — the neutral “after” that pairs with the た-form.
Learn てから with Hane
Hane has you build routine sentences step by step, so the て-form + から order sticks. Start practicing with Hane.
FAQ about てから
What does てから (te kara) mean in Japanese?
てから (te kara) means “after doing”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. A てから B means "B happens after A is complete".
How do you form てから (te kara)?
Change the first verb to its て-form and add から. The second clause carries the tense and politeness for the whole sentence.
What is the difference between てから and あとで?
てから: て-form + から · "first A, then B". たあとで: た-form + あとで · "later, after A".
What is an example sentence with てから (te kara)?
ご飯を食べてから、勉強します。 — I'll study after I eat.