How do you say before in Japanese?

Put 前に after a verb in the dictionary form or after a noun with の: 寝る前に (before sleeping), 食事の前に (before the meal). The verb stays in the dictionary form even in a past sentence: 日本に来る前に、日本語を勉強しました.

How do you say after in Japanese?

Put 後で after a verb in the た-form or a noun with の: 食べた後で (after eating), 授業の後で (after class). The verb stays in the た-form even when you talk about the future: 仕事が終わった後で電話します.

What is the difference between 後で and てから?

Often both work. てから stresses strict order (first A, then B) and is the natural choice for instructions such as 電話してから来てください. Only てから can mean since: 日本に来てから三年になります. Only 後で can stand alone as later: 後で電話します.

How do you say three years ago or three days later?

Attach 前 or 後 directly to the time span, without の: 三年前 (three years ago), 三日後 (three days later). Note that 後 is read ご in this use.

Before and After in Japanese: 前に, 後で and てから (N5)

The short version: 前まえに means before and always takes the dictionary form: 寝ねる前まえに. 後あとで means after and always takes the た-form: 食たべた後あとで. With nouns, add の: 食事しょくじの前まえに, 授業じゅぎょうの後あとで. てから joins two actions in strict order: 手てを洗あらってから食たべます. The form never follows the tense of the sentence, so a past story still says 日本にほんに来くる前まえに.

Level: N5–N4. All three patterns belong to beginner grammar, from N5 to N4. You only need the dictionary form, the た-form and the て-form. Every example has furigana, the kana reading underneath and an English translation.

English says “before I came to Japan” and “after I finish work”, so the verb inside the clause follows the time of the whole sentence. Japanese does something different, and it is the reason learners keep writing 来きた前まえに. Once you see what Japanese is tracking, all three patterns become easy.

The picture: two events on one line

Event A歯はを磨みがく
brush teeth

Event B寝ねる
go to bed

寝ねる前まえに、歯はを磨みがきます。
At the time of brushing, going to bed has not happened yet, so 寝ねる stays in the dictionary form.

歯はを磨みがいた後あとで、寝ねます。
At the time of going to bed, brushing has already happened, so 磨みがく goes into the た-form.

Japanese chooses the verb form by asking one question: at the moment of the main action, has this other event happened yet? Before an event, it has not, so the verb is in the dictionary form. After an event, it has, so the verb is in the た-form. Whether you are telling a story about last year or making a plan for tomorrow does not change the answer.

前まえに: before

Verb (dictionary form) + 前に · Noun + の前にN5

寝ねる前まえに、歯はを磨みがきます。ねるまえに、はをみがきます。I brush my teeth before I go to bed.

出でかける前まえに、窓まどを閉しめてください。でかけるまえに、まどをしめてください。Please close the windows before you go out.

食事しょくじの前まえに、手てを洗あらいましょう。しょくじのまえに、てをあらいましょう。Let's wash our hands before the meal.

Nouns need の. 食事しょくじの前まえに, 授業じゅぎょうの前まえに, 試験しけんの前まえに. The の is what links a noun to 前まえ.

Now the sentence that catches almost everyone. In a past story, English moves the verb into the past (“before I came”), but Japanese keeps it in the dictionary form, because at the time of studying the coming had not happened yet.

Past sentence, dictionary formN5

Wrong

日本にほんに来きた前まえに、日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしました。にほんにきたまえに、にほんごをべんきょうしました。

Right

日本にほんに来くる前まえに、日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしました。にほんにくるまえに、にほんごをべんきょうしました。Before I came to Japan, I studied Japanese.

The past tense goes at the end only. 勉強べんきょうしました already tells the listener that the whole story is in the past. The verb before 前まえに only tells them the order of the two events.

後あとで: after

Verb (た-form) + 後で · Noun + の後でN5–N4

ご飯はんを食たべた後あとで、散歩さんぽします。ごはんをたべたあとで、さんぽします。After I eat, I go for a walk.

授業じゅぎょうの後あとで、先生せんせいに質問しつもんしました。じゅぎょうのあとで、せんせいにしつもんしました。After class, I asked the teacher a question.

Wrong

明日あした、仕事しごとが終おわる後あとで電話でんわします。あした、しごとがおわるあとででんわします。

Right

明日あした、仕事しごとが終おわった後あとで電話でんわします。あした、しごとがおわったあとででんわします。Tomorrow I'll call you after I finish work.

The mirror image of 前まえに. The sentence is about tomorrow, but at the time of the call, work will already be finished. That is why the verb before 後あとで is in the た-form, even though nothing has happened yet in real time.

You will also see 後あと used without で: 食たべた後あと、散歩さんぽします. The meaning is the same. 後あとに is also possible and sounds more formal. For speaking, 後あとで is the safe choice.

後あとで on its own: later

Without anything in front of it, 後あとで simply means later, and it is one of the most useful words in daily conversation:

Later

後あとで電話でんわします。

あとででんわします。I'll call you later.

See you later

じゃあ、また後あとで。

じゃあ、またあとで。See you later, then.

てから: first this, then that

The て-form plus から (literally “from having done”) joins two actions in strict order. The first action is finished before the second one begins.

Verb (て-form) + からN5

手てを洗あらってから、食たべてください。てをあらってから、たべてください。Please wash your hands first, then eat.

宿題しゅくだいをしてから、ゲームをします。しゅくだいをしてから、ゲームをします。I'll do my homework, and then I'll play games.

電話でんわしてから来きてください。でんわしてからきてください。Please call before you come. (Call first, then come.)

てから or 後あとで?

In many sentences both are correct and the meaning hardly changes: 宿題しゅくだいをしてから遊あそびます and 宿題しゅくだいをした後あとで遊あそびます both say that homework comes first. The difference is one of emphasis, and there are two places where only one of them works.

てから stresses the order

Use it for instructions and procedures, where doing A first matters: 電話でんわしてから来きてください. It is also the only one that can mean since:

日本にほんに来きてから、三年さんねんになります。

にほんにきてから、さんねんになります。It has been three years since I came to Japan.

後で stresses the time

Use it when B simply happens at some point after A, possibly with a gap: 試験しけんが終おわった後あとで、旅行りょこうします (after the exams are over, I'll travel). It is also the only one that can stand alone as later: 後あとでね.

Ago and later: 三年前さんねんまえ, 三日後みっかご

When 前まえ and 後あと follow a length of time, they mean ago and later, and they attach directly, without の. In this use, 後 is read ご.

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
三年前さんねんまえ	さんねんまえ	three years ago
一週間前いっしゅうかんまえ	いっしゅうかんまえ	a week ago
十分前じゅっぷんまえ	じゅっぷんまえ	ten minutes ago / ten minutes before
三日後みっかご	みっかご	three days later / in three days
一年後いちねんご	いちねんご	a year later

Two different 前まえ. 三年前さんねんまえに日本にほんに来きました means “I came to Japan three years ago”. 三年さんねんの前まえに is not a way to say this. And 駅えきの前まえ is about place, not time: “in front of the station”.

前

Patterns stick when you meet them in sentences. Kanjijo's grammar bank teaches 前に, 後で and てから with example sentences and native audio, and its conversation lessons let you hear them in real exchanges and repeat them with shadowing. The SRS then brings each pattern back on the day you are about to forget it.

Check yourself: six sentences

Tap the form that fits. Each answer explains the rule.

1 · Before, in the past

日本にほんへ＿＿前まえに、ひらがなを覚おぼえました。にほんへ＿＿まえに、ひらがなをおぼえました。Before I went to Japan, I learned hiragana.

前まえに always takes the dictionary form, even in a past sentence.

2 · After, in the future

映画えいがを＿＿後あとで、ご飯はんを食たべましょう。えいがを＿＿あとで、ごはんをたべましょう。Let's eat after we watch the film.

後あとで always takes the た-form, even for a plan.

3 · With a noun

テスト＿＿前まえに、よく寝ねてください。テスト＿＿まえに、よくねてください。Get a good night's sleep before the test.

Noun + の + 前まえに.

4 · Since

大学だいがくに＿＿、毎日まいにち忙いそがしいです。だいがくに＿＿、まいにちいそがしいです。I've been busy every day since I started university.

Only てから can mean since.

5 · Three days later

＿＿、また来きます。＿＿、またきます。I'll come again in three days.

With a length of time, 後 attaches directly and is read ご: 三日後みっかご.

6 · On its own

今いまちょっと忙いそがしいので、＿＿電話でんわします。いまちょっといそがしいので、＿＿でんわします。I'm a bit busy now, so I'll call you later.

後あとで alone means later. てから always needs a verb in front of it.

Quick reference

Before: Dictionary form + 前に (寝る前に), or noun + の前に (食事の前に). Never た + 前に.
After: た-form + 後で (食べた後で), or noun + の後で (授業の後で). Never dictionary form + 後で.
Why the form never changes: It shows whether the event has happened at the time of the main action, not whether the sentence is past or future.
First A, then B: て-form + から: 手を洗ってから食べます.
Since: てから only: 日本に来てから三年になります.
Later: 後で alone: 後で電話します, また後で.
Ago / later with time spans: No の: 三年前 (さんねんまえ), 三日後 (みっかご).

Frequently Asked Questions

Put 前まえに after a verb in the dictionary form or after a noun with の: 寝ねる前まえに (before sleeping), 食事しょくじの前まえに (before the meal). The verb stays in the dictionary form even in a past sentence: 日本にほんに来くる前まえに、日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしました.

Put 後あとで after a verb in the た-form or a noun with の: 食たべた後あとで (after eating), 授業じゅぎょうの後あとで (after class). The verb stays in the た-form even when you talk about the future: 仕事しごとが終おわった後あとで電話でんわします.

Because the form shows the order of events, not the time of speaking. At the moment you studied, coming to Japan had not happened yet, so the verb stays in the dictionary form. 来きた前まえに is always wrong.

Often both work. てから stresses strict order (first A, then B) and is the natural choice for instructions such as 電話でんわしてから来きてください. Only てから can mean since: 日本にほんに来きてから三年さんねんになります. Only 後あとで can stand alone as later: 後あとで電話でんわします.

Attach 前まえ or 後ご directly to the time span, without の: 三年前さんねんまえ (three years ago), 三日後みっかご (three days later). Note that 後 is read ご in this use.

Sources & further reading

Seiichi Makino & Michio Tsutsui, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (The Japan Times, 1986): entries for mae (ni), ato de and kara (after doing).
The Japan Foundation & JEES, JLPT Level Summary: what N5 and N4 candidates are expected to understand.

Put events in order without stopping to think

前に, 後で and てから are learned in an afternoon and become automatic only after many real sentences. Kanjijo gives you the full N5–N1 path of 2,480 kanji, 9,020 words and the complete grammar bank, with exclusive mnemonics for every kanji and every word, an SRS engine with seven growth stages that times each review, home, lock screen and interactive test widgets, JLPT reading and listening practice and full mock tests. Train your ear with conversation lessons, shadowing and dictation, point the OCR scanner at any Japanese text around you, and turn any Japanese video you paste in into a lesson. Free on iPhone.

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Before and After in Japanese: 前に, 後で and てから