N2 Limits, Extent, and Range
~からして: meaning, usage and examples
~からして means: judging from... / starting from...
How to form it
<Noun> + からして
Examples
彼の態度からして、やる気がないようだ。
Judging from his attitude, he seems unmotivated.
名前からして、外国人だと思った。
From the name alone, I thought they were a foreigner.
この店は入口からして高級な雰囲気がある。
Even the entrance of this restaurant feels upscale.
空の色からして、午後は雨になりそうだ。
Judging from the color of the sky, it looks like it will rain this afternoon.
When to use it
Two uses. First, "judging from": a conclusion drawn from one clue, as in 話し方からして、関西の人だろう (Judging by the way they talk, they must be from Kansai). Second, "starting with, even": one basic example shows the whole thing is like that, usually in a bad way: 社長からして時間を守らない (Even the company president is never on time).
Nuance
Neutral. The "even" use is often critical: the speaker picks the most obvious example and implies the rest is the same or worse. In the "judging from" use the sentence usually ends in a guess: だろう, ようだ, に違いない.
Compare
からすると / からすれば also mean "judging from," and can mean "from the point of view of": 親からすれば心配だ. からして adds the "even, starting with" sense. からといって means "just because": 安いからといって買うべきではない.
Tip: If "even X" works in English, からして fits: タイトルからしてつまらない means "Even the title is boring."
More in Limits, Extent, and Range
- ~に限り: only... / limited to...
- ~に限って: just when... (bad luck) / X of all people (would never)
- ~限り(は): as long as... / unless...
- ~限りでは: as far as... / to the extent that...
- ~限り: as far as... / as much as... (to the limit)
- ~にわたって: over... / throughout... / for...
- ~だけ: as... as possible / to the extent that...
- ~放題: as much as one wants / to one's heart's content / -free
- ~まくる: to do... excessively / to... like crazy
Frequently asked questions
What does ~からして mean?
Judging from... / starting from.... Example: 彼の態度からして、やる気がないようだ。 (Judging from his attitude, he seems unmotivated.)
How do you form ~からして?
<Noun> + からして. If "even X" works in English, からして fits: タイトルからしてつまらない means "Even the title is boring."