How to tell them apart
あとで treats the first action as a completed event and then places the second action somewhere after it, so it works even when the two are not back-to-back (日本へ行ったあとで病気になった). てから chains actions in order and stresses that the second thing happens once the first is done, often as an immediate next step or an ongoing state since that point (シャワーを浴びてから寝る). Swapping them sounds off when you need the gap or the since sense.
- あとで Use あとで when the second event simply happens sometime after the first, not necessarily right away.
- てから Use てから when the second action follows directly after finishing the first or marks a point something has continued since.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| あとで atode | later on; afterwards; after (a time or event) | N4 |
| てから tekara | Once something has been done; the time elapsed since an action | N5 |
あとで atode
later on; afterwards; after (a time or event)
あとで means that something happens after a later point in time, whether that is after an action, after a period, or simply later on. It follows nouns (often with the particle に, as in あとで itself) and can also stand alone as an adverb meaning later. It is neutral in register and common in both speech and writing.
-
何でもかんでもメモをしますがあとで使い物になりません。
I note down absolutely everything, but they're no good to me afterwards.
-
しかしこの問題にはまたあとで立ち帰ることにします。
But this is an issue to which we return later.
てから tekara
Once something has been done; the time elapsed since an action
てから connects the te-form of a verb to a following clause or phrase, meaning that the second event happens after the first, or that a period of time has passed since the first event. It is commonly used with time expressions like 〜年になる to state how long it has been since something happened.
-
父が亡くなってから３年になります。
My father has been dead for three years.
-
彼らは日本に来てから５年になる。
Five years have passed since they came to Japan.
あとで and てから are JLPT N5–N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.