1.
for the sake of; for the benefit of; in order to
Indicates a purpose or beneficiary. Attaches to nouns (with の) or to dictionary-form verbs to express the goal or reason for an action.
2.
because of; due to; as a result of
Indicates a cause or reason, typically for an unintended or negative outcome. Often used with past-tense verbs.
The に form of the noun 為 (sake, benefit), grammaticalized as a connective. The purpose sense (1) is the most common; the cause sense (2) is more formal and often appears in written language.
Common patterns
- Noun + のために: for the sake of (noun)
- Verb (dictionary form) + ために: in order to (verb)
- Verb (past) + ために: because (verb happened)
Disambiguation
The purpose and cause senses are usually clear from context. With dictionary-form verbs, purpose is dominant; with past-tense verbs or stative expressions, cause is dominant.