せい
せい
noun
fault, cause, blame
1.
fault, cause, blame
The reason or cause of something negative. Used to attribute blame or responsibility for an undesirable outcome.
雨のせいだ。
It's because of the rain.
寝不足のせいで頭が痛い。
I have a headache because of lack of sleep.
全部自分のせいにしないで。
Don't blame it all on yourself.
年のせいか、最近疲れやすくなった。
Maybe because of my age, I've been getting tired easily lately.
せい is used to attribute the cause of something negative. The kanji form 所為 exists but is rarely used; hiragana is standard.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- Noun + のせい: because of (noun)
- Verb (plain form) + せいで: because (verb)
- ～のせいにする: to blame on
- ～のせいか: perhaps because of
SIMILAR WORDS:
- おかげ: thanks to (positive cause); せい is for negative causes
- ～ため: because of (neutral, can be positive or negative)
NOTE:
せい attributes blame or negative causation. For positive outcomes, use おかげ instead.
Related Words
Contrast:
おかげ (positive cause)