What is the difference between "原因", "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "角が立つ"?

"原因" means "cause, origin", "迷惑をかける" means "to cause trouble, to bother, to inconvenience", "引き起こす" means "to cause, to bring about, to trigger, to provoke", "角が立つ" means "Cause friction".

Quadruple VS

Synonym Boundary: "原因", "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "角が立つ"

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

迷惑をかける

めいわくをかける (meiwaku o kakeru)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

引き起こす

ひきおこす (hikiokosu)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

角が立つ

かどがたつ (kadogatatsu)

C1 / CEFR

Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "cause" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "原因", "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "角が立つ" 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.
迷惑をかける (めいわくをかける (meiwaku o kakeru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to cause trouble, to bother, to inconvenience" and is used when Used when one's actions cause trouble or discomfort to others. It's an important phrase for showing consideration..
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.
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..

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 "迷惑をかける"

遅れてしまって、皆さんに迷惑をかけてしまいました。

I was late and ended up causing trouble for everyone.

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 "角が立つ"

私は角が立つに興味があります。

I am interested in Cause friction.

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.".