原因（げんいん、geniん）
- cause

The Japanese word 原因 (げんいん) means "cause," "reason," or "origin." It refers to something that produces an effect, result, or consequence. It's the factor or factors that explain why something happens. The word can be used for both positive and negative situations. 原因 can apply to a wide range of contexts, from everyday problems to scientific investigations.

⚫︎ 事故の原因 Translation: The cause of the accident. ⚫︎ 病気の原因 Translation: The cause of the illness. ⚫︎ 問題の原因を探す Translation: To look for the cause of the problem.

You use 原因 when you want to talk about what led to a particular event, situation, or outcome. It's often used in discussions, reports, or explanations where you are trying to identify why something occurred. You can use it in various formal and informal settings.

原因 is typically written using kanji and hiragana. ⚫︎ Kanji: 原因 ⚫︎ Hiragana: げんいん There is no variation in the okurigana.

⚫︎ 理由(りゆう): Reason. ⚫︎ 動機(どうき): Motive. ⚫︎ もと(もと): Origin, source. ⚫︎ 原因(げんいん) is also a synonym of itself.

⚫︎ 結果(けっか): Result, consequence. ⚫︎ 結果(けっか) is the opposite of the 原因.

この火事の原因はタバコの火の不始末だと判明した。 ・Translation: The cause of this fire was found to be the careless handling of a cigarette. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the careless handling of a cigarette was the 原因 for the fire.

彼の失敗の原因は準備不足だった。 ・Translation: The cause of his failure was a lack of preparation. ・Explanation: This sentence clarifies that the failure was caused by insufficient preparation.

The word 原因 is a compound word formed from the kanji 原(げん) meaning "origin" or "source" and 因(いん) meaning "cause" or "factor." The combination of these two characters creates a clear and concise meaning for "cause" or "reason."