Japanese word

なぜなら

Pronunciation

Romajinazenara

Meaning

  • conjunctionbecause

Example

今日は早く帰ります。なぜなら、明日は試験だからです。kyō wa haya ku kae ri ma su na ze na ra asu wa shi ken da ka ra de su

I will go home early today because I have an exam tomorrow.

Illustration for なぜなら (because)

More examples

彼を誘いませんでした。なぜなら、忙しそうだったからです。kare o saso i ma se n de shi ta na ze na ra isoga shi sō da tta ka ra de su

I did not invite him because he seemed busy.

Core concept

Introduces the reason that supports a preceding statement, often by signaling that an explanation is about to follow.

Similar words

だってdatte: Gives a reason or excuse in an informal spoken exchange.
というのもtoiunomo: Presents the reason for a preceding statement as an added explanation.

Definition in Japanese

前に述べた事柄の理由を示す接続語。mae ni no be ta koto gara no ri yū o shime su setsu zoku go

Word origin

The native expression なぜなら (nazenara) combines なぜ (naze, "why") with なら (nara), the conditional form of だ (da, "to be"), and developed into a conjunction meaning "because."

Usage tips

  • In Japanese conversation, なぜなら (nazenara) often introduces a reason after a statement, while からです (kara desu) commonly marks the reason at the end.

Word lists with this word