N3 · Expressions (N3)
おかげで and せいで: thanks to, because of
a cause that helped, and a cause to blame
Both name a cause; おかげで is grateful for a good result, せいで blames a bad one.
At a glance
- Remember
- Grateful: おかげで. Blaming: せいで. Neutral: から, ので, ために.
- Form
- あなたのおかげでthanks to you
- Signal words
- 〜のおかげで
- 〜おかげで
- 〜のせいで
- 〜せいで
- おかげさまで
- Trap
- Wrong:雨のおかげで、試合が中止になって残念だ。Right:雨のせいで、試合が中止になって残念だ。
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| thanks to you | あなたのおかげで |
| thanks to the medicine I took | 薬を飲んだおかげで |
| because it was convenient | 便利なおかげで |
| because of the rain (blame) | 雨のせいで |
| because it was too hot | 暑すぎたせいで |
| it is all thanks to everyone | みんなのおかげだ |
| it is my fault | 私のせいだ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
おかげで names a cause for a good result.
皆さんのおかげで、無事に終わりました。Thanks to all of you, it went off without a hitch.
せいで names a cause to blame for a bad result.
事故のせいで、電車が遅れた。The train was late because of an accident.
Both attach like nouns: の after a noun, な after a na-adjective, the plain form after a verb.
昨日早く寝たおかげで、今日は元気だ。Thanks to going to bed early yesterday, I feel fine today.
At the end of a sentence: おかげだ, せいだ.
失敗したのは私のせいです。It is my fault that it failed.
Example sentences
友達が手伝ってくれたおかげで、早く終わった。Thanks to my friend helping me, I finished early.
寝坊したせいで、飛行機に乗り遅れた。Because I overslept, I missed the plane.
新しい駅ができたおかげで、通勤が楽になった。Thanks to the new station, my commute has become easier.
台風のせいで、旅行が中止になった。Because of the typhoon, the trip was cancelled.
毎日練習したおかげで、上手になりました。Thanks to practising every day, I got good at it.
甘いものを食べすぎたせいで、太ってしまった。I have put on weight because I ate too many sweet things.
7 more example sentences
地図アプリのおかげで、迷わずに着いた。Thanks to the map app, I got there without getting lost.
隣の工事のせいで、夜も眠れない。Because of the building work next door, I cannot sleep at night.
両親のおかげで、留学できました。Thanks to my parents, I was able to study abroad.
風邪のせいで、声が出ない。I have lost my voice because of a cold.
天気がよかったおかげで、きれいな写真が撮れた。Thanks to the good weather, I got some lovely photos.
道を間違えたせいで、約束に遅れた。I was late for the appointment because I took a wrong turning.
うまくいったのは、田中さんのおかげです。It is thanks to Mr Tanaka that it went well.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "because of" fits good and bad results alike, so learners pick one of the pair at random. Japanese builds the speaker's feelings into the word: a cancelled match that the speaker regrets is the rain's fault, せい, not its favour.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
おかげ is "favour" or "benefit", and おかげで names a cause that brought about something good: 先生のおかげで、合格できました, "thanks to my teacher, I passed". せい is "fault", and せいで names a cause that is to blame for something bad: 雨のせいで、試合が中止になった, "because of the rain, the match was called off".
Both are nouns and attach like one: after a noun with の (友達のおかげで), after a na-adjective with な (便利なおかげで), and after the plain form of a verb or an i-adjective (薬を飲んだおかげで, 寒いせいで). At the end of a sentence they become おかげだ and せいだ: 成功したのはみんなのおかげです.
The choice is not about the facts but about the speaker's attitude. The same cause — a colleague who stayed late — can be おかげ if the speaker is grateful and せい if the speaker is annoyed. That is why swapping them is never neutral: あなたのせいで合格した sounds like a bitter joke.
English "because of" carries no attitude, and learners use ために or から where Japanese would show its feelings. Those are still correct, and in neutral reports they are the right choice; おかげで and せいで add thanks or blame on top of the reason.
A closer look
おかげで said with irony
Because おかげで expresses thanks, it can be turned round for sarcasm: あなたのおかげで、大変なことになった, "thanks to you, we are in a real mess". The bad result shows that the thanks are not meant, exactly as in English "thanks a lot".
The reverse does not happen: せいで with a good result does not sound ironic, only wrong. If a sentence with おかげで ends badly, it is either sarcasm or a mistake, and the tone of voice decides which.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
-
somebody asks after your health or your affairs
the fixed answer is おかげさまで, "thank you, things are fine", even if the person asking had nothing to do with it.
「お元気ですか。」「おかげさまで、元気です。」"How are you?" "Very well, thank you."
The phrase thanks the listener and everyone else in general for one's good fortune. It is a courtesy, not a claim that they helped.
Worth knowing (1)
-
せいか: perhaps because of
せいか adds doubt: "perhaps because of". The speaker suspects a cause without being sure, and the result is usually something they have noticed in themselves.
疲れているせいか、頭が痛い。Maybe because I am tired, I have a headache.
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