How to say "Cause" in Japanese

When translating "cause" into Japanese, you must choose carefully between 原因 and 因果. In Japanese, 原因 (げんいん (gen'in)) is typically associated with "cause, origin" (Syllabus Level: N4) and represents Refers to the reason or origin of something, often negative or problematic. Used with ~となる. On the other hand, 因果 (いんが (inga)) maps to "cause and effect; karma" (Syllabus Level: N2) and represents Often used in philosophical or metaphorical contexts, referring to the chain of events or karma.. A literal translation of "cause" can often sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers if mixed up!