Tips for Japanese Learners / だから and なので There is a common mistake that I see on Lang-8. That is a wrong diction of から and ので. It might be obvious, but they're something like "because" and "since". They have the same meaning, but should be distinguished depending on the way you speak. Don't worry. It's so easy that you'll get the hang of it soon. Before we jump into the topic, I hope you keep it in mind: だから and なので both follow the nouns. Okay? You use だから in casual speaking. On the contrary, you use なので in polite speaking(teinei-go). That's it ;) Let me give a example to help things clear up. 今日はクリスマスだから、家族で集まってご飯を食べます。 Today is Christmas, so my family gets together and has dinner. You are tying to talk in a polite form(teinei-go), as opposed to a casual form, so you should use "なので". This is a very simple sentence, so some people might not consider rewarding it. I also might find it acceptable in informal situation.(though it's not correct.) However, the rule of it is still very important, especially to people who want to use Japanese on your job. "だから" isn't preferable when formalities or politeness are required, so make sure to use なので. I would never use だから to my boss and clients Hope this helps ;) Like