～せいで
A bad result happened because of something
You’ll be able to blame a person, event, or circumstance for an unwanted result.
朝寝坊のせいで、ボートに乗れませんでした。
asanebou no sei de, booto ni noremasen deshita.
What do you think this sentence means?
Because of oversleeping, we couldn't get on the boat.
Blame a cause for a bad result
～せいで means “because of” or “due to,” usually with a negative result. It presents the preceding person, event, or circumstance as something to blame.
風邪のせいで、声が出ません。
kaze no sei de, koe ga demasen.
Because of my cold, I have lost my voice.
私が道を間違えたせいで、みんなが遅れました。
watashi ga michi o machigaeta sei de, minna ga okuremashita.
Because I took the wrong road, everyone was late.
Name the cause of the unwanted result
Use noun + のせいで or a plain clause + せいで before an undesirable result. It can sound accusatory when used about a person.
寝坊したせいで、会議に遅れた。
nebou shita sei de, kaigi ni okureta.
Because I overslept, I was late for the meeting.
～おかげで vs ～せいで
Both name a cause. ～おかげで credits it for a good result; ～せいで blames it for a bad one.
～おかげで, thanks to
父のおかげで、早く着きました。
chichi no okage de, hayaku tsukimashita.
Thanks to my father, we arrived early.
A good result, and a grateful tone.
～せいで, because of (blame)
父のせいで、遅く着きました。
chichi no sei de, osoku tsukimashita.
Because of my father, we arrived late.
A bad result, and a tone of blame.
隣の部屋がうるさかったせいで、昨夜はよく眠れなかった。
tonari no heya ga urusakatta sei de, yuube wa yoku nemurenakatta.
Because the room next door was noisy, I couldn’t sleep well last night.
花粉のせいで、毎年春になると目がかゆくなる。
kafun no sei de, maitoshi haru ni naru to me ga kayuku naru.
Because of pollen, my eyes get itchy every spring.
電車の中でスマホを見すぎたせいで、気分が悪くなった。
densha no naka de sumaho o misugita sei de, kibun ga waruku natta.
Because I looked at my phone too much on the train, I started to feel sick.
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