Grammar › Cause & Reason
〜せいで — “because of” (placing blame)
A negative cause with blame attached: 雨のせいで、遅れた — I was late because of the rain
Noun/plain form + せいで gives a reason for something bad, and implies the cause is at fault — “because of X (and that's the problem).” It contrasts with the neutral おかげで, which points to a cause for something good.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + の + せいで | 雨のせいで、遅れた — I was late because of the rain |
| Plain form + せいで | 寝坊したせいで、遅刻した — I was late because I overslept |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 渋滞のせいで、会議に遅れてしまった。 | じゅうたいのせいで、かいぎにおくれてしまった。 juutainoseide、kaiginiokureteshimatta。 | I ended up late for the meeting because of traffic. |
| 彼のせいで、計画が台無しになった。 | かれのせいで、けいかくがだいなしになった。 karenoseide、keikakugadainashininatta。 | The plan was ruined because of him. |
| 寝不足のせいで、頭がぼんやりする。 | ねぶそくのせいで、あたまがぼんやりする。 nebusokunoseide、atamagabonyarisuru。 | My head feels foggy because of lack of sleep. |
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Watch out
せいで always frames the cause as blameworthy — using it for a positive outcome (“thanks to the rain, the plants grew well”) sounds sarcastic; おかげで is the correct, neutral-to-positive choice there instead.