因いんをなす

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-su)

A somewhat formal or literary expression meaning to become the cause or origin of something. Often used in explanatory or philosophical contexts.

その小ちいさな誤ご解かいが大おおきな争あらそいの因いんをなした。
That small misunderstanding gave rise to a big dispute.

彼かれの無む責せき任にんな行こう動どうが失しっ敗ぱいの因いんをなした。

His irresponsible behavior caused the failure.

Written forms

因いんをなす
Standard kanji spelling using 因 (cause).
因いんを成なす
Variant spelling using 成す (to accomplish). Both are used, but 因をなす is more common.

Kanji

因cause, factor, be associated with
成turn into, become, get

Similar words

原げん因いんとなる
More common and neutral way to say 'to be the cause of'. 因をなす is more literary and emphasizes the act of creating a cause.
引ひき起おこす
Means 'to cause' or 'to trigger', often used for events or problems. 因をなす focuses on being the root cause rather than the immediate trigger.

Etymology

Combination of 因 (cause, reason) and なす (to make, to form). The phrase literally means 'to make a cause'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a classical Chinese-influenced pattern.