それから: After That / And Then | Japanese Grammar

Some connectors just mean "and." それから means "and then." It stands at the head of a new sentence and pins the second event to a timeline after the first one: first this happened, and from that point the next thing followed. When the order of events genuinely matters — you are telling a story, listing the steps of a recipe, or giving directions — それから is the sharp, natural choice, sharper than the looser そして. It also has a second job that surprises English speakers: bolted onto a request, it means "and also — one more thing."

それから = それ ("that") + から ("from")

The word is transparent once you break it open: それ ("that") + から ("from") = "from that." The literal image is from that point onward, which is exactly why それから carries such a strong sense of forward motion in time. Whatever you just finished saying becomes "that," and それから launches the next event out of it.

銀行に行った。それから、買い物をした。

ginkō ni itta. sorekara, kaimono o shita

I went to the bank. After that, I did some shopping.

The 買（か）い物（もの） didn't just co-occur with the trip to the 銀行（ぎんこう） — it came next, and それから makes that ordering explicit. Note the shape: full stop after the first sentence, それから at the head of the second, and a comma right after it. That comma is standard and worth copying.

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それから answers one question: "and then what?" If the events you are joining sit on a timeline and the order matters, それから is your connector. If order is irrelevant and you just mean a loose "and," そして is enough.

Narrating a chain of events

This is それから's home turf. To tell what you did, step after step, you chain plain-past sentences with それから between them. Each それから advances the clock.

顔を洗った。それから、ご飯を食べた。

kao o aratta. sorekara, gohan o tabeta

I washed my face. After that, I ate breakfast.

仕事が終わった。それから、友達と飲みに行った。

shigoto ga owatta. sorekara, tomodachi to nomi ni itta

Work finished. After that, I went out drinking with friends.

まず野菜を切ります。それから、フライパンで炒めます。

mazu yasai o kirimasu. sorekara, furaipan de itamemasu

First you cut the vegetables. Then you fry them in a pan.

That last one is a recipe, and それから is the workhorse connector of recipes and instructions precisely because each step must follow the previous one in the right order. Pair it with まず ("first") at the top of the sequence and you have a clean "first… and then…" frame.

Giving directions step by step

Directions are pure sequence, so それから threads through them naturally. Here it often follows the て-form of a verb inside the running instructions — you keep the て-form going for the moves that flow together, then drop in それから when you want to mark a distinct next step.

この道をまっすぐ行って、それから、二つ目の角を右に曲がってください。

kono michi o massugu itte, sorekara, futatsume no kado o migi ni magatte kudasai

Go straight down this road, and then turn right at the second corner.

右に曲がって、それからまっすぐ。

migi ni magatte, sorekara massugu

Turn right, and then straight on.

駅の改札を出ます。それから、北口の階段を降りてください。

eki no kaisatsu o demasu. sorekara, kitaguchi no kaidan o orite kudasai

Go out through the station ticket gates. After that, take the stairs down at the north exit.

それから for "and also" — adding one more item

Now the use that catches learners off guard. When you are asking for things — ordering at a restaurant, listing what you need — それから can mean "and also," tacking one more item onto the list. Here it isn't tracking time at all; it's the spoken equivalent of "oh, and one more thing." It buys you a beat to remember the next item.

コーヒーを一つ。それから、ケーキもください。

kōhī o hitotsu. sorekara, kēki mo kudasai

One coffee. And also, a cake, please.

この書類にサインをお願いします。それから、こちらにも判子を。

kono shorui ni sain o onegai shimasu. sorekara, kochira ni mo hanko o

Please sign this document. And also, your seal here as well.

牛乳と卵。それから、パンも買ってきて。

gyūnyū to tamago. sorekara, pan mo katte kite

Milk and eggs. And also, pick up some bread.

Notice how often the added item takes も ("too / as well") — それから sets up the addition and も confirms it. This additive それから is friendly and low-pressure, which is why waiters and customers both lean on it. For the purely "moreover / on top of that" additive that isn't part of a request, see また.

それから for "since then"

Because それから literally means "from that," it also spans a longer stretch: "from that point on / since then." Here the "that" is a moment in the past, and それから measures the time that has run from it up to now — very often with a negative, "I haven't … since."

去年、一度けんかした。それから、彼とは話していない。

kyonen, ichido kenka shita. sorekara, kare to wa hanashite inai

We had a fight once last year. Since then, I haven't spoken to him.

病気をしてから、お酒をやめた。それから、体の調子がいい。

byōki o shite kara, osake o yameta. sorekara, karada no chōshi ga ii

After getting sick I quit drinking. Since then, I've felt great.

それから vs そして — sharp sequence vs loose "and"

Both open a new sentence and both can be glossed "and then," so learners treat them as swappable. They aren't quite. それから foregrounds temporal succession — "and next in time." そして is a looser, more written-flavoured "and," and it can also mark a climactic "and so" or simply pile on a related fact without insisting on order.

Connector	Core force	Best for	Register
それから	"and next in time" — strict sequence	narrating steps, directions, adding an item to a request	neutral, very common in speech
そして	looser "and (then)," can be climactic	joining related facts, a final "and so," written prose	slightly more written / literary

Compare the two on the same two events:

宿題をした。それから、寝た。

shukudai o shita. sorekara, neta

I did my homework, and then (next) I went to sleep.

彼は立ち上がった。そして、静かに部屋を出て行った。

kare wa tachiagatta. soshite, shizuka ni heya o dete itta

He stood up. And then he quietly left the room.

The first is a plain "next-on-the-clock" chain — それから is perfect. The second has a narrative, almost dramatic weight ("and then, at last…") that suits そして. When you simply want to report that Y happened after X, reach for それから; when you want a smoother literary "and," reach for そして.

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Rule of thumb: if you could say "and next" in English, use それから. If you'd rather say "and" or "and so," use そして. When the sequence is the whole point — recipes, directions, "what I did today" — それから wins.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1 — Confusing それから ("after that") with だから ("therefore"). These look and sound similar but do opposite jobs: それから advances time ("and then"), while だから draws a conclusion ("so, that's why"). Swapping them wrecks the logic.

❌ 雨が降った。それから、試合は中止だ。

Wrong — this says the match was cancelled 'after' the rain in time, missing the cause-and-effect. For 'it rained, SO the match is off,' use だから.

✅ 雨が降った。だから、試合は中止だ。

ame ga futta. dakara, shiai wa chūshi da

It rained. So the match is cancelled.

Mistake 2 — Using それから where the order doesn't matter. If you're just listing co-existing qualities (not events on a timeline), それから sounds odd. Use そして or a listing connector.

❌ 彼は親切だ。それから、頭がいい。

Odd — kindness and intelligence aren't sequential events, so 'after that' doesn't fit. Use そして for a plain 'and.'

✅ 彼は親切だ。そして、頭がいい。

kare wa shinsetsu da. soshite, atama ga ii

He's kind. And he's smart.

Mistake 3 — Trying to glue two clauses inside one sentence with それから. それから opens a new sentence; to link two actions inside one sentence, use the て-form of the verb.

❌ 顔を洗ったそれから、ご飯を食べた。

Wrong — それから can't sit mid-sentence between clauses. Either split into two sentences, or use the て-form: 顔を洗って、ご飯を食べた.

✅ 顔を洗って、ご飯を食べた。

kao o aratte, gohan o tabeta

I washed my face and ate breakfast.

Mistake 4 — Reaching for そして when adding an item to an order. The "oh, and one more thing" additive in a request is それから, not そして; そして there sounds stiff and narrative.

❌ コーヒーを一つ。そして、ケーキもください。

Stiff — in a spoken order, the 'and also' that adds an item is それから. そして sounds like storytelling.

✅ コーヒーを一つ。それから、ケーキもください。

kōhī o hitotsu. sorekara, kēki mo kudasai

One coffee. And also a cake, please.

Key takeaways

それから = それ ("that") + から ("from") → "from that point on," so its core force is sequence in time: "and next."
It's the natural glue for narrating ordered events, recipes, and step-by-step directions — anywhere the order matters. Pair it with まず ("first") for a clean sequence.
In a request, それから also means "and also — one more thing," adding an item (often with も). This is its non-temporal, additive use.
From "that point on" it stretches to "since then," usually with a negative (それから、会っていない, "I haven't met (them) since").
Versus そして: それから insists on "and next"; そして is a looser, more literary "and (so)." Don't confuse it with だから ("therefore") — that's cause and effect, not time.

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