せいで

せいで
expression
because of; due to (negative cause)
grammatical
1. because of; due to (negative cause)
Indicates the cause or reason for an undesirable outcome. Attaches to nouns (with の), na-adjectives (with な), i-adjectives, and verbs in plain form.
I was late because of the rain.
My head hurts because of lack of sleep.
The road was congested because of construction, and I didn't make it to the meeting in time.

Derived from 所為(せい) (cause, fault), せいで is used exclusively when the result is negative or undesirable. For positive outcomes, おかげ is used instead.

Usage

せいで follows nouns with , na-adjectives with な, and plain-form verbs or i-adjectives directly. It can also appear as せい (softer, less certain) or in the pattern せいする (to blame something on).

Common patterns

Similar words

  • おかげ — thanks to; because of (positive result)
  • ため — because of (neutral, can be positive or negative)
  • によって — due to (formal, neutral cause)