What is the difference between "原因", "引き起こす", "誘因", "角が立つ", "帰責事由"?

"原因" means "cause, origin", "引き起こす" means "to cause, to bring about, to trigger, to provoke", "誘因" means "cause, incentive, trigger", "角が立つ" means "Cause friction", "帰責事由" means "cause attributable to a party".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "原因", "引き起こす", "誘因", "角が立つ", "帰責事由"

All represent the core concept "cause", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

原因

げんいん (gen'in)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

引き起こす

ひきおこす (hikiokosu)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

誘因

ゆういん (yūin)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

角が立つ

かどがたつ (kadogatatsu)

C1 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

帰責事由

きせきじゆう (kisekijiyuu)

C2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "cause" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "原因", "引き起こす", "誘因", "角が立つ", "帰責事由" based on context.

原因 (げんいん (gen'in) - Level: N4): Maps to "cause, origin" and is used when Refers to the reason or origin of something, often negative or problematic. Used with ~となる.
引き起こす (ひきおこす (hikiokosu) - Level: N2): Maps to "to cause, to bring about, to trigger, to provoke" and is used when Often used for causing negative events like accidents, problems, or conflicts. Similar to もたらす but more commonly for negative consequences. Can also mean to pull someone up from lying down. 例: 問題を引き起こす.
誘因 (ゆういん (yūin) - Level: N2): Maps to "cause, incentive, trigger" and is used when Something that leads to or prompts an action or event, often acting as a catalyst or motivator. Can be positive or negative..
角が立つ (かどがたつ (kadogatatsu) - Level: C1): Maps to "Cause friction" and is used when Essential structural term in CEFR C1 vocabulary syllabus..
帰責事由 (きせきじゆう (kisekijiyuu) - Level: C2): Maps to "cause attributable to a party" and is used when Essential structural term in CEFR C2 vocabulary syllabus..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "原因"

事故の原因を調べています。

I am investigating the cause of the accident.

Context for "引き起こす"

彼の不注意が大きな事故を引き起こした。

His carelessness caused a major accident.

Context for "誘因"

ストレスが病気の誘因となることがある。

Stress can be a trigger for illness.

Context for "角が立つ"

私は角が立つに興味があります。

I am interested in Cause friction.

Context for "帰責事由"

私は帰責事由に興味があります。

I am interested in cause attributable to a party.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "事故の＿＿＿を調べています。" (Meaning: "I am investigating the cause of the accident.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "原因" is correct here because it represents "cause, origin" in the context: "I am investigating the cause of the accident.".