Grammar › Connecting Ideas
〜ので — “because” (soft / polite)
A gentler から: 忙しいので、行けません
ので means “because”, like から, but softer and more polite — it presents the reason as objective fact rather than personal assertion, so it's preferred for excuses and requests. 電車が遅れたので、遅刻しました (I was late because the train was delayed).
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + ので | 高いので、買いません — because it's expensive, I won't buy it |
| Noun/な-adj + なので | 日曜日なので、休みです — because it's Sunday, we're closed |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頭が痛いので、帰ります。 | あたまがいたいので、かえります。 atamagaitainode、kaerimasu。 | I'll go home because I have a headache. |
| 静かなので、勉強しやすい。 | しずかなので、べんきょうしやすい。 shizukananode、benkyoushiyasui。 | It's quiet, so it's easy to study. |
| 時間がないので、後で電話します。 | じかんがないので、あとででんわします。 jikanganainode、atodedenwashimasu。 | I have no time, so I'll call later. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
ので sounds more polite and less pushy than から, which is why it's the safe choice when giving reasons to a boss or making a request. Note な-adjectives and nouns need な before ので (静かなので), not だ.