What is the difference between "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "誘因", "帰責事由"?

"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", "誘因" means "cause, incentive, trigger", "帰責事由" means "cause attributable to a party".

Quadruple VS

Synonym Boundary: "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "誘因", "帰責事由"

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

Japanese Option A

迷惑をかける

めいわくをかける (meiwaku o kakeru)

N3 / 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

帰責事由

きせきじゆう (kisekijiyuu)

C2 / CEFR

Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "cause" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "迷惑をかける", "引き起こす", "誘因", "帰責事由" based on context.

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.
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..
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 "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 "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 "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: "遅れてしまって、皆さんに迷惑をかけてしまいました。" (Meaning: "I was late and ended up causing trouble for everyone.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "迷惑をかける" is correct here because it represents "to cause trouble, to bother, to inconvenience" in the context: "I was late and ended up causing trouble for everyone.".