Comparison3 pagesJLPT N3

Thanks to, the fault of, all because

おかげで and せいで are "because of" with a judgment added, where から and ので take no side. The choice turns on the result: おかげで gives the credit for a good one, and せいで lays the blame for a bad one. ばかりに is for a bad result too, and adds regret.

Form	What it says	The result
おかげで	"Thanks to": gives the credit	Good
せいで	"Because of", "the fault of": lays the blame	Bad
せいか	"Maybe because": a guess at the cause	Mostly bad, sometimes good
おかげか	"Maybe thanks to": a guess at what deserves the credit	Good
ばかりに	"Just because", "all because": one thing was all it took	Bad, and out of proportion to the cause

おかげで: thanks to

Full pageおかげで・おかげだN3

おかげで gives the credit for something that turned out well: to a person, to the weather or good luck, or to your own hard work. What follows is something you are glad about, very often something you were able to do. After a noun it is のおかげで.

先せん生せいのおかげで、試し験けんに合ごう格かくできた。

Thanks to my teacher, I passed the exam.

田た中なかさんが資し料りょうを直なおしてくれたおかげで、発はっ表ぴょうに間まに合あった。

Thanks to Tanaka fixing the materials for me, I was ready in time for the presentation.

When someone did something for you, that verb usually ends in てくれた.

せいで: because of, the fault of

Full pageせいで・せいだN3

せいで lays the blame for something that turned out badly. What follows is something you didn't want, very often something you couldn't do or a verb with てしまった. The blame can go to the weather or bad luck, or to yourself, which is owning up. Pinned on someone else, as in あなたのせいで, it is an accusation.

隣となりの部屋へやがうるさかったせいで、ほとんど眠ねむれなかった。

Because the room next door was noisy, I could hardly sleep.

寝ね坊ぼうしたせいで、学がっ校こうに遅ち刻こくした。

Because I overslept, I was late for school.

おかげで or せいで?

The same fact can take either one. It depends on whether you wanted what happened.

雨あめのおかげで、試し合あいが中ちゅう止しになった。

Thanks to the rain, the game was called off.

Good news: you didn't want to play.

雨あめのせいで、試し合あいが中ちゅう止しになった。

Because of the rain, the game was called off.

Bad news: you wanted to play.

With no judgment either way, it is 雨あめで or 雨あめが降ふったので.

Where it goes wrong

English "because of" takes no side. せいで always blames, so with good news it turns your thanks into blame.

Not said: 先せん生せいのせいで、日本にほん語ごが上手じょうずになりました。

(I got good at Japanese because of my teacher.)

This blames the teacher. It is 先せん生せいのおかげで.

Said about something bad, おかげで is sarcasm, like a cutting "thanks to you" in English.

君きみが何なん度ども話はなしを遮さえぎってくれたおかげで、会かい議ぎが一いち時じ間かんも延のびたよ。

Thanks to you interrupting again and again, the meeting ran a whole hour over.

おかげだ, せいだ, and phrases people say

おかげで and せいで also end a sentence, as おかげだ and せいだ. If the sentence names the result, the result comes first, with のは.

無ぶ事じに卒そつ業ぎょうできたのは、家か族ぞくの支ささえのおかげだ。

It's thanks to my family's support that I managed to graduate.

私わたしが約やく束そくの時じ間かんに遅おくれたのは、目め覚ざましをセットし忘わすれたせいだ。

It was because I forgot to set my alarm that I was late for the appointment.

おかげさまでthankfully; thanks for asking

おかげさまで、元げん気きにしています。

I'm doing well, thank you.

A polite reply when someone asks how you are or congratulates you, whether or not they helped you.

〜のおかげですI owe it to you

本ほん当とうに先せん生せいのおかげです。

I really do owe it all to you.

Said to your teacher's face: a warm thank-you.

おかげでthanks to that

おかげで助たすかりました。

That was a real help, thank you.

It can open a sentence on its own.

私わたしのせいmy fault

ごめん、全ぜん部ぶ私わたしのせいだ。

Sorry, it's all my fault.

To comfort someone: あなたのせいじゃないよ, "it's not your fault".

〜のせいにするblame it on

自じ分ぶんのミスを人ひとのせいにするな。

Don't blame your own mistakes on other people.

気きのせいjust your imagination

たぶん気きのせいだよ。

It's probably just your imagination.

せいか: maybe because

Full pageせいで・せいだN3

せいか turns the blame into a guess: "maybe it's because". Most often the result is still unwelcome, but せいか can come before good news too.

年としのせいか、最さい近きん疲つかれやすい。

Maybe it's my age, but I get tired easily these days.

よく寝ねたせいか、今日きょうは体からだが軽かるい。

Maybe it's because I slept well, but I feel light on my feet today.

おかげか turns the credit into a guess: "maybe it's thanks to".

薬くすりのおかげか、熱ねつが下さがった。

Maybe it's thanks to the medicine, but my fever has gone down.

ばかりに: all because of one thing

Full pageばかりにN3

ばかりに looks back at a bad result and singles out the one thing that caused it, with regret or resentment. Often the cause is something small, a slip of your own, and the result is out of all proportion to it. The cause can also be something nobody could help. People say ばかりに as well as write it.

一ひと文も字じ入にゅう力りょくを間ま違ちがえたばかりに、メールが別べつの人ひとに届とどいてしまった。

Just because I typed one character wrong, the email went to someone else.

道みちが狭せまいばかりに、救きゅう急きゅう車しゃが家いえの前まえまで入はいれなかった。

Just because the road was narrow, the ambulance couldn't get as far as the house.

ばかりに never leads to good news. When one thing made everything go right, the word is おかげで.

Not said: 朝あさ早はやく出でたばかりに、混こん雑ざつを避さけられた。

(Just because I left early in the morning, I avoided the crowds.)

朝あさ早はやく出でたおかげで.

せいで or ばかりに?

Here is one mistake, told both ways.

予よ約やく日びを一いち日にち間ま違ちがえたせいで、楽たのしみにしていた公こう演えんを見みられなかった。

Because I got the booking date wrong by one day, I missed the show I'd been looking forward to.

The mistake gets the blame.

予よ約やく日びを一いち日にち間ま違ちがえたばかりに、楽たのしみにしていた公こう演えんを見みられなかった。

Just because I got the booking date wrong by one day, I missed the show I'd been looking forward to.

Blame, and regret that so small a mistake was all it took.

When the cause is a strong feeling

あまり・あまりの～にN2

"So … that": a feeling or a state so strong that something followed, usually something you didn't mean to do. Nobody is thanked or blamed.

緊きん張ちょうのあまり、名な前まえを聞きかれても答こたえられなかった。

I was so nervous that I couldn't answer even when they asked my name.