引ひき金がね

きっかけN3sense 2
きっかけ is a more general, neutral word for a chance or opportunity that starts something, while 引き金 emphasizes a direct, often negative, causal trigger.
原げん因いんN4sense 2
原因 is the plain, neutral word for a cause, while 引き金 specifically means the immediate event that sets off a (usually bad) chain of consequences.
誘ゆう因いん sense 2
誘因 is a formal, often academic term for a contributing or inducing factor, whereas 引き金 is a vivid, everyday metaphor for the decisive triggering cause.
導どう火か線せん
引き金 literally means the trigger of a gun and is used metaphorically for something that sets off an event, while 導火線 literally means a fuse and is used the same way, but 導火線 more often implies a slow build-up before the explosion.

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口くち火び
引き金 emphasizes a direct, often mechanical or violent cause (like pulling a trigger), while 口火 suggests an initial spark that sets off a larger chain of events.
トリガー
引き金 is the native Japanese word for a firearm's trigger and is also the standard word for a metaphorical trigger of an event, while トリガー is a katakana loanword often preferred in tech, business, or casual contexts.
誘さそい水みず
引き金 (literally a gun's trigger) is used for a sudden, often negative event that sets off a crisis or conflict, whereas 誘い水 usually describes a gentler, encouraging stimulus.

Built from

引ひく+金かね

Written forms

引ひき金がねUsage83%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
引ひき金がねUsage11%
Less common variant without okurigana.
引鉄ひきがねUsage4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
引ひきがねUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kana form; not a standard written spelling.
引ひき鉄がねUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 鉄; it is rarely used.

Etymology

Compound of 引き (hiki, 'pulling') + 金 (kane, 'metal'). The reading がね is a rendaku form of かね. Originally referred to the metal trigger of a matchlock gun.