せいで | Grammar

Structure

[verb (plain)] + せいで [i-adj] + せいで [na-adj] + な + せいで [noun] + の + せいで

Description

せいで means "because of", with blame: the cause led to something bad. It goes after the plain form of a verb or an い-adjective; a な-adjective takes な and a noun takes の.

、。

Because of the typhoon, the flight was cancelled.

、。

I missed the train because I overslept.

、。

The room next door is so noisy I can't concentrate on studying.

、。

The explanation was so complicated that nobody understood it.

× 台風せいで → 台風のせいで
× 複雑せいで → 複雑なせいで

The second half is something that has happened or is the case. An intention, a suggestion or a request can't follow せいで: ×雨のせいで、家にいよう. For a neutral reason, use ので or から.

せいで or おかげで

is "thanks to": the result is good. せいで blames the cause for a bad one.

、。

Thanks to my teacher, I passed the exam.

。

I was late because of you.

Pointed at a person, せいで is an accusation. Said to their face, it is blunt.

Usage notes

These go beyond せいで in the middle of a sentence.

せいだ and せいにする

At the end of a sentence, せいだ says whose fault it is. せいにする means "to blame something on".

。

It's my fault that it failed.

。

Don't blame other people.

。

I blamed it all on the weather.

せいか

When you are not sure the cause is the real one, せいか says "perhaps because".

、。

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

Examples

、。

Because of the rain, the game was cancelled.

。

I was late because of you.

、。

My stomach hurts because I ate too much.

、。

Because of the construction, I can't sleep well at night.

、。

Because he lied, everyone is in trouble.

、。

Due to lack of exercise, I gained weight.

、。

Because the room next door is noisy, I can't concentrate on studying.

、。

Because of a traffic accident, the road is very congested.

、。

Because of a cold, I couldn't go on the trip.

、。

I know it's my own fault, but it's frustrating.

、。

Because I was nervous, I forgot to say something important.

。

Please don't blame everything on me.

References

Fault ～せいで～にかこつけてimabi.org
せいでBunpro