おかげ
おかげ
noun
thanks to; owing to; because of
1.
thanks to, owing to (positive)
Used to attribute a good result to someone or something.
あなたのおかげで助かりました。
I was saved thanks to you.
Expressing gratitude
おかげさまで元気です。
I'm fine, thanks to everyone. (set phrase)
Very common polite response
先生のおかげで合格できた。
I passed thanks to my teacher.
皆さんのおかげです。
It's thanks to everyone.
薬のおかげで治った。
I got better thanks to the medicine.
おかげで無事に終わった。
Thanks to that, it ended safely.
努力のおかげで成功した。
I succeeded thanks to my efforts.
2.
because of (ironic/negative)
Sometimes used ironically to blame someone for a negative outcome.
君のおかげで遅刻した。
I was late because of you. (ironic)
Ironic/blame usage
あなたのおかげで大変な目に遭った。
Because of you, I had a terrible time.
雨のおかげで試合が中止になった。
The game was canceled because of the rain.
工事のおかげで毎朝うるさい。
Because of the construction, it's noisy every morning.
彼のおかげで計画が全部だめになった。
Because of him, the entire plan fell apart.
おかげ expresses that a result happened 'thanks to' something/someone.
Kanji: Can be written as お陰 (shadow/behind the scenes)
Key expression:
- おかげさまで: thanks to you/everyone (very common polite phrase)
- Used as a response to 'How are you?' or to express general gratitude
- Shows appreciation without specifying to whom
Grammar pattern:
- 〜のおかげで: thanks to ~, owing to ~
Contrast:
- おかげ (thanks to - usually positive or ironic)
- せい (because of - usually negative/blame): 君のせいで... (It's your fault that...)