おかげで
- 1Credits a cause for a favorable result, often with a sense of gratitude.Ex. 1
- 2Sarcastically attributes an unwelcome result to a cause.
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Neutral in register and used in conversation and writing, especially when thanking someone or explaining a favorable outcome. The following clause presents a factual result, which may be a past event, a present state, or a general fact; unlike the neutral reason markers ので and から, おかげで conveys a favorable view of the cause.
Do not use おかげで for an unwelcome result unless you intend sarcasm.
Note that おかげで leads to a factual result, not a request, command, or statement of intention.
Learners should include の after a noun and な after a な形容詞.
- せいでN3「せいで」 is generally used for bad results, expressing blame or dissatisfaction; using it for a good result is only joking. 「おかげで」 is used for good results with a sense of gratitude, and when applied to bad results it is sarcasm/irony. Their ways of attaching to preceding words are similar, and 「せいで」 can also attach to 「名詞＋だった」.
- ためにN3When 「ために」 expresses a cause, it only states the cause-and-effect relationship objectively and can be used for both good and bad results, with a somewhat formal tone; 「おかげで」 carries a nuance of gratitude (or irony). 「ために」 can also express purpose, meaning 'in order to...', which 「おかげで」 cannot do.
- のでN5「ので」 only objectively states cause and effect, without gratitude or sarcasm, and can be used for both good and bad results; the following clause can also contain a request. With 「おかげで」, the following clause only states the result and cannot contain a request. The way nouns attach differs: 「雨なので」 vs. 「先生のおかげで」.
- からN5「から」, when expressing a cause, only states the reason, with no gratitude or sarcasm, and works for both good and bad results; 「おかげで」 is used for good results with gratitude, and for bad results it becomes irony. With 「から」, 「だ」 is added after nouns and な-adjectives, and it can attach to the polite form.
- によって / によるN3「によって」 is close to 「おかげで」 only when expressing a cause, but its tone is objective and neutral, with no gratitude or sarcasm, and it can be used for both good and bad results; it appears mostly in news reports and explanatory writing. It attaches only to nouns, whereas 「おかげで」 can also attach to verbs and adjectives.
おかげで credits a cause for a good result, while せいで blames a cause for a bad one. ので and から give reasons without that evaluation; ために can give a reason or express purpose, and によって / による marks a cause or means without implying gratitude or blame.
