noun
cause of defeat; reason for losing
Used in sports, politics, business, and other competitive contexts to analyze why someone or something lost.
チームは敗因を分析した。
The team analyzed the cause of their defeat.
選挙の敗因は何だったのか。
What was the reason for the election loss?
The opposite: cause of victory or reason for winning.
Compound of 敗 (hai, 'defeat') and 因 (in, 'cause').