せいで
Meanings
- Because of
- Due to
- Blame (someone/something) for a negative result
- As a result of
About this pattern
Explanation
The expression せいで attaches to a cause that leads to a negative result. It often carries blame or fault attribution, meaning the following outcome happened due to that cause. It is commonly used with concrete causes like weather, health, or someone’s actions. When you attach the cause to a noun, you typically use のせいで; with verbs or adjectives you attach せいで directly to the plain form (past for actions that already occurred). The nuance is that the speaker sees the cause as responsible for the unwanted outcome.
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Example sentences
The rain caused the game to be canceled.
I was late for the appointment because of him.
The rain caused the roads to be crowded.
I’m taking today off because I’m feeling unwell.
Because of the construction, the road to the station is closed.
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