Kara (から) is a
case particle in
Japanese that can have a number of meanings, depending on context.
1. "From"
Nihon kara kaette kita.
(I/you/he/she/we/they) have returned from Japan.
In this meaning,
kara is often paired with
made, which means "to."
Sono hito wa Tokyo kara Chitose made gûgû shite ita.
That person was snoring from Tokyo to Chitose.
You could also use it in this sense to indicate ingredients or a minimum value:
E2 wa, rezubian to saru to daizu kara tsukuru.
E2 is made from lesbians, monkeys, and soy.
Sô iu Makku wa, sansen doru kara suru.
That kind of Mac starts from three thousand dollars.
The particle
yori is often used instead of
kara in formal situations using this sense of the word.
2. "Because of"
Samui kara, ki o tsukete kudasai.
It's cold, so please take care.
Abunai desu kara gochûi kudasai.
Danger: please be careful.
Sûdo Interrekuchuaru, yamete kudasai. Nôdojeru ga ippai kara.
Please stop, Pseudo_Intellectual. After all, the nodegel is full.
In formal speech,
node is often used instead of this sense of
kara.
3. "By"
Dani'i kara shikarareta.
I was scolded by dannye.
Kara is very rarely used in this sense when the actor is inanimate. In other words, it's best to restrict it to people: if you want to make a sentence in
passive voice using a dead object,
ni is much better.
Kara, when spelled with the
kanji 唐, is a deprecated term for
China (a la the Western term "
Cathay"). With the kanji 空, it means "emptiness."