What is the difference between "迷惑をかける", "誘因", "因果", "角が立つ", "帰責事由"?

"迷惑をかける" means "to cause trouble, to bother, to inconvenience", "誘因" means "cause, incentive, trigger", "因果" means "cause and effect; karma", "角が立つ" means "Cause friction", "帰責事由" means "cause attributable to a party".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "迷惑をかける", "誘因", "因果", "角が立つ", "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

誘因

ゆういん (yūin)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

因果

いんが (inga)

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 "迷惑をかける", "誘因", "因果", "角が立つ", "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..
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..
因果 (いんが (inga) - Level: N2): Maps to "cause and effect; karma" and is used when Often used in philosophical or metaphorical contexts, referring to the chain of events or karma..
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 "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 "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 "因果"

善い行いをすれば善い因果が返ってくると言われる。

It is said that if you do good deeds, good karma (cause and effect) will return to you.

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: "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.".