On account of: 〜ゆえ（に）
Noun（の）+ ゆえ（に）／ plain form + （が）ゆえ（に）／ ゆえの + noun
Noun（の）／plain form + （が）ゆえ（に）, ゆえの + noun: “on account of”, a written, solemn cause. ゆえに at the start of a sentence: “therefore”.
In short
ゆえ (故) expresses cause in a written, solemn style: “on account of, because”. 若さゆえの過ち (a mistake born of youth), 貧しいがゆえに (because he was poor). At the start of a sentence, ゆえに means “therefore”, as in 我思う、ゆえに我あり. Written, literary register, used in reasoning.
- あれは若さゆえの過ちだった。あれはわかさゆえのあやまちだった。That was a youthful mistake.
- 貧しいがゆえに、学校に通えない子どもたちがいる。まずしいがゆえに、がっこうにかよえないこどもたちがいる。There are children who can't go to school because they are poor.
- 我思う、ゆえに我あり。われおもう、ゆえにわれあり。I think, therefore I am.
The basics
ゆえ is an old noun meaning “reason, cause”. You find it in 何ゆえ (for what reason) and それゆえ (for that reason). So 〜ゆえに is “because of, on account of”, with a gravity that ので or から lack — like English “by reason of”, “therefore”.
Often the cause is a quality or a condition (youth, poverty, love) from which an almost fateful consequence follows.
There are children who can't go to school because they are poor.
- adjective
- grammatical form
- verb
- noun
- 彼女を愛するがゆえに、彼は身を引いた。かのじょをあいするがゆえに、かれはみをひいた。It was because he loved her that he stepped aside.
How to form it
After a noun: directly (若さゆえ) or with の (彼の努力のゆえに). After a verb or an い-adjective: plain form + ゆえ or, more often, がゆえ. After a な-adjective or a predicate noun, you go through である: 正直であるがゆえに. Before a noun: ゆえの. At the start of a sentence: ゆえに, それゆえ (“therefore”).
| Base | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | 〜ゆえ（に）, 〜のゆえに | 病気ゆえ, 努力のゆえに |
| Verb / い-adj | 〜（が）ゆえ（に） | 貧しいがゆえに, 愛するがゆえに |
| な-adj / predicate noun | 〜であるがゆえに | 正直であるがゆえに |
| Before a noun | 〜ゆえの + noun | 若さゆえの過ち |
| Connective | ゆえに, それゆえ | ゆえに A は C より大きい |
- 彼は正直であるがゆえに、損をすることが多い。かれはしょうじきであるがゆえに、そんをすることがおおい。It's precisely because he's honest that he often loses out.
- 人間であるがゆえの悩みは、誰にでもある。にんげんであるがゆえのなやみは、だれにでもある。Everyone has the torments that come with being human.
ゆえ, ため, から, ので
から and ので are the everyday ways of giving a cause. 〜ため (N3) is written and objective (台風のため休校). 〜ゆえ is more literary and solemn; it suits essays, maxims, formal letters and logical reasoning. In speech it sounds archaic or deliberately theatrical.
| Sentence | Register |
|---|---|
| 若いから失敗した | spoken |
| 若いので失敗した | neutral, polite |
| 若さのため失敗した | written, objective |
| 若さゆえに失敗した | literary, solemn |
- 道が混んでいたので、少し遅れました。みちがこんでいたので、すこしおくれました。The roads were busy, so I'm a little late. (ので, conversation)
- 台風のため、本日は休校とします。たいふうのため、ほんじつはきゅうこうとします。Owing to the typhoon, the school is closed today. (ため, objective writing)
Common mistakes
- Forgetting である before がゆえに after a な-adjective: 正直であるがゆえに, not “正直がゆえに”.
- Not recognising ゆえに at the start of a sentence: it means “therefore”, not “because”.
- Using it in ordinary conversation: “眠いゆえに帰る” sounds comical.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokkaidō Line (Classical and formal language) of the Shinkansen.