Meaning & usage
せい expresses that something is the unfavorable cause of a bad result, often with a nuance of blame or complaint. It follows nouns with の, as in 雨のせいだ, plain verbs and i-adjectives directly, and na-adjectives with な. Common patterns include のせいだ to identify the cause, のせいで to connect it to a result, and のせいにする to blame someone for a mistake. It is not used for positive outcomes.
Example sentences 7
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彼らの到着が遅れたのは雨のせいだ。
Their late arrival was owing to the rain.
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自分の誤りを人のせいにしてはいけない。
Don't blame others for your own fault.
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彼は年のせいで目が見えなくなった。
Age deprived him of his sight.
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それは全てあなたのせいだ。
It's all your fault.
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君は失敗を不運のせいにしてはいけない。
Don't set your failure down to bad luck.
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彼はその誤りを私のせいにした。
He put the mistake down to me.
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人のせいにしないでください。
Please don't pin the blame on other people.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 7 past exam questions.
And 3 more tests.
