Grammar › Reference & Basis
ゆえに — “therefore, because of (formal cause)”
A formal, almost philosophical way to state a cause-and-effect relationship
Noun (+ の) or plain-form clause + ゆえに states a formal cause — “because of X” or, placed at the start of a sentence, “therefore.” It has a philosophical, almost archaic register (famously in デカルトの「我思う、ゆえに我あり」, “I think, therefore I am”), and is common in academic and legal writing.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + ゆえに | 貧しさゆえに、進学を諦めた — Because of poverty, he gave up on further education |
| Sentence-initial | ゆえに、この仮説は正しいと言える — Therefore, this hypothesis can be said to be correct |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 若さゆえの過ちだった。 | わかさゆえのあやまちだった。 wakasayuenoayamachidatta。 | It was a mistake born of youth. |
| 彼は正直者であるがゆえに、損をすることもある。 | かれはしょうじきものであるがゆえに、そんをすることもある。 karehashoujikimonodearugayueni、sonwosurukotomoaru。 | Because he's an honest person, he sometimes loses out. |
| 我思う、ゆえに我あり。 | われおもう、ゆえにわれあり。 wareomou、yueniwareari。 | I think, therefore I am. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
ゆえに is formal/literary — in everyday speech, だから or ので covers the same ground; save ゆえに for essays, formal writing, or deliberately weighty statements.