Japanese word

せい

Pronunciation

Romajisei

Meaning

  • nounfault

Example

これは私のせいです。ko re wa watashi no se i de su

This is my fault.

Illustration for せい (fault)

More examples

わたしのせいです。wa ta shi no se i de su

It is my fault.

彼は失敗を友達のせいにしました。kare wa ship pai o tomo dachi no se i ni shi ma shi ta

He blamed his friend for the failure.

Core concept

Shows that a person or circumstance is responsible for an unwanted result, often with blame attached.

Common phrases

  • 雨のせいame no se i

    because of the rain

Similar words

おかげokage: A favorable result or benefit caused by a person or circumstance.
原因genin: Something that brings about a particular result.
理由riyū: A fact or circumstance that explains an action or event.
責任sekinin: Responsibility for a result or action, especially when fault is involved.

Definition in Japanese

人や物事に、起こった好ましくない結果の原因や責任があること。hito ya mono goto ni o ko tta kono ma shi ku na i kek ka no gen in ya seki nin ga a ru ko to

Word origin

The Japanese noun せい (sei, "fault; cause") is often represented by 所為 (sei, "act; deed"), but the historical reason for assigning this reading to the spelling is not certain.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, せい (sei) usually points to a negative result, whereas おかげ (okage) points to a favorable result from a cause.

Other meanings

  • because of ___noun

Opposites

Word lists with this word