Grammar › Cause & Reason
おかげで — “thanks to…”
Credits a good outcome to a helpful cause — a polite way to say why something went well
おかげで attaches after a noun+の or a plain-form clause to credit a positive result to its cause — “thanks to X, Y (good thing) happened.” It's often used to politely acknowledge someone's help, and can even be used sarcastically for a bad outcome, where “thanks a lot” reads as a pointed jab rather than real gratitude.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + の + おかげで | 先生のおかげで合格しました — Thanks to my teacher, I passed |
| Plain form + おかげで | 早く出発したおかげで間に合った — Because we left early, we made it in time |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| あなたのおかげで助かりました。 | あなたのおかげでたすかりました。 anatanookagedetasukarimashita。 | Thanks to you, I was saved. |
| 天気が良かったおかげで、旅行を楽しめました。 | てんきがよかったおかげで、りょこうをたのしめました。 tenkigayokattaokagede、ryokouwotanoshimemashita。 | Thanks to the good weather, we enjoyed the trip. |
| 薬のおかげで、熱が下がりました。 | くすりのおかげで、ねつがさがりました。 kusurinookagede、netsugasagarimashita。 | Thanks to the medicine, my fever went down. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
おかげで can be used sarcastically for a bad result (おかげで遅刻したよ — “thanks a lot, now I'm late”) — tone alone tells you whether it's sincere gratitude or a pointed jab.