Reason, as we have learned, is expressed with various grammar points such as the particles から and ので, nouns such as 理由 and 訳, as well as several other phrases like ～ため. Each means of expressing reasons presents the learner even more ways to nuance one’s speech to better convey reason. In this lesson, we will learn about even more phrases whose basic understandings are tied to the notion of reason. These words are 故, 所以・由縁, 謂れ, and 由.
At its most basic understanding, 故 means “reason.”
1. 故あって同行することになった。
It has been decided for a certain reason that we accompany the other.
2. 故ない侮辱はせん。
I shan’t make a senseless insult.
3. そう批判されるのも故無しとしない。
Being criticized as such is also not without reason.
Phrase Note: 故無しとしない can be paraphrased as それなりの理由がある.
4. 地は何の故を以って東南に傾くや。
Wherefore doth the Earth tilteth to the southeast?
However, this is not its only meaning. Depending on the expression, it may be synonymous to the word 由緒 meaning “history” as in having a connection to something.
5. 故ある遺品を捨てられまい。
I cannot possibly discard items full of history to me that were left to me.
It may also be translatable as “circumstance(s)” and “appearance.”
6. その故ありげな美しい姿、この世のものではないようにも思える。
That suggestive, beautiful appearance, it seems as if it’s not of this world.
～ゆえに
The grammar pattern ～ゆえに, which is created with the noun 故 from above and the purpose-marking に, is used to express either a positive or negative cause which brings about a typically negative yet atypical result.
This pattern is quite old-fashioned, but it is occasionally still found. What is most complicated about it is how it connects with other parts of speech.
| Nouns | N + ゆえ（に） N + がゆえに N + のゆえに N + である（が）ゆえに |
| 形容詞 | Adj + （が）ゆえに |
| 形容動詞 | Adj. N + である（が）ゆえに Adj. N + なゆえに |
| Verbs | V + （が）ゆえに |
It is possible to see （が）ゆえに follow conjugatable parts of speech in both the non-past and the past tense. It may even be seen after the auxiliary verb ます. However, it is mostly seen after nouns where it exhibits the most variety in appearance.
It is often the case that the speaker relates to the situation somehow. Even if the sentence is in the third person, the speaker still relates to the subject of the sentence. This pattern is also used in academic papers as an objective marker of reason. In an academic setting, the effect that follows does not have to be limited to a negative circumstance, but outside academic settings, this is a requirement.
7. 未熟者ゆえお許しください。
Please forgive me for I am a novice.
Sentence Note: The result of forgiving the speaker for being a novice may not seem like a negative circumstance, but the possibility of not being forgiven is a negative outcome, and it is this direness being expressed by the speaker that consists an unfavorable situation.
8. 女であるがゆえに受ける差別の構造を知れば、もっと楽になると思い込んでいる女性たちがいる。
There are women who are (incorrectly) convinced that things will get easier so long as they know about the framework of discrimination that they receive for being women.
9. 女であるゆえに父親の財産を相続できず貧しい暮らしを強いられる。
She is compelled to live in poverty, unable to inherit her father’s fortune for being a woman.
10. その美貌と若さのゆえに、誤ったイメージをもたれているように思われる。
Because of her youth and beauty, there is an incorrect image of her.
11. 若いがゆえに悪性の病気であるとは思いもよらなかった。
Due to my being young, the thought of having a bad disease was inconceivable.
12. 男ゆえに敵が多い。
My enemies I do have for being a man.
13. 愛ゆえに人は苦しまねばならぬ。
For love people must suffer.
14. こういう静かなイケメンは、静かであるがゆえに、 多くの女性が見落としている。
It is this kind of quiet good-looking guy that many women overlook due to his being quiet.
15. 生き急ぐゆえに"死"が接近していることに気づかない。
It is because we live fast that we do not notice “death” approaching.
16. アライグマは、野生動物であるがゆえに、捕獲や事故を免れ、成獣になれる確率は極めて低い。
Raccoons, because they are wild animals, have an extremely low probability of evading capture and accidents and becoming adults.
17. 離婚が増えたがゆえに再婚も増えているという現実はあるが、だからといって誰もが簡単に次の結婚を決められるわけではない。
Although there is the reality that remarrying is on the rise due to divorce having risen, it is not the case nonetheless that anyone can easily decide one’s next marriage.
18. それだけに、聡明なゆえに何かしらの違和感を持ちつつ毎日を過ごされているのでしょう。
For that reason alone, because you are wise, I’m sure you spend each feeling out of place somehow.
19. 日本は、島国（の）ゆえに他から大きな侵略も受けず、従って滅びるかどうかという深刻な試練にも遭わずに生きてこられた国である。
Japan, as a result of being an island nation, is a country that hasn’t ever sustained a large invasion from the outside, and as a result has lived without facing the serious tribulation of perishing.
20. 受け継いだ罪のゆえに人の心は弱く信仰が欠けてしまう。
It is because of the sin man has inherited that the heart is weak and also why one’s faith is lacking.
21. 伝説の魔獣（である）がゆえに、制御できぬのである。
One cannot control it for it is a legendary beast.
22. 正義と愛がゆえに闘う。
To fight for justice and love.
23. 糸が美しいゆえに、その刺繍は美しい。
The embroidery is beautiful by virtue of the thread being beauty.
24. 美少女は、美しいがゆえに、悲惨な思いをすることがある。
Beautiful girls often experience tragedy owing to their beauty.
25. 美しさゆえに愛するのなら、私を愛さないでおくれよ。
If you are to love me by reason of my beauty, please do not live me.
事故
It is interesting to know that 事故 at one time had a native equivalent, which was literally ことゆえ. ことゆえ is a combination of 事 and 故, and the resultant combination brings about a nuance of “accident” or potential difficulties in the circumstances at hand.
26. 慣れぬことゆえ、お稽古頑張って下さい。
As you are yet accustomed, please do your best in training.
27. 何分子供のことゆえ、お赦しください。
Please forgive him as he is but a child.
28. 前世に行った悪しき事ゆえに、そうした苦難を経験するに値することになるのである。
One becomes deserving of experiencing such hardship due to bad deeds one committed in previous lives.
故に
It is often the case that 故に is used as a sentence-initial conjunction when the previous clause ends in a verb or adjective. When this is done, 故に is translatable as “therefore.” A more emphatic version of this is それゆえ, which also translates as “therefore.”
29. 我思う。故に、我あり。
I think. Therefore, I am.
30. 日本の風景は美しい。ゆえに、日本の歌は美しい。
Japanese landscape is beautiful. Therefore, Japanese songs are beautiful.
31. それゆえ、履歴書上に、これまでの仕事に関係するとは思えない脈絡のない資格や免許が列挙されていたら、プラスになるどころか、マイナスにすらなりかねないのです。
Therefore, having a list of qualifications and licenses with seemingly no logical connection to the jobs you’ve had up to that point on your resume is likely to be a negative rather than a positive.
32. それゆえ男はその父母を離れ、妻と結び合い、二人は一体となるのである。
Therefore, shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
何故
Although no longer used in the spoken language, 何ゆえ is in fact a way to say “why.” It is akin to the somewhat old-fashioned English expression “wherefore.”
33. 世界は何ゆえ核の炎に包まれたのか
Why was it that the world was enveloped in the flames of nuclear weaponry?
34. 何ゆえ小説を書くのか。
Wherefore does one write novels?
35. 以後充分に気をつけますゆえ、お許し下さいまし。
As I will pay attention moving forward, I ask that you please forgive me.
Sentence Note: This sentence would have been heard in the late 1800s and early 1900s but would be viewed as extremely old-fashioned.
36. これを機会に、役社員一同新たな気持ちで社業発展に全力を尽くす所存でございますゆえ、何卒ご高承の上、より一層のご厚誼を賜りますようお願い申し上げます。
With this opportunity, we intend to do our utmost in the company’s development with a new sense of unity with all executive staff and works. As such, upon your kind affirmation, we ask that you bestow us with more of your kindness and support.
Sentence Note: Ex. 36, as well as Ex. 37, are examples of honorific speech utilizing ゆえ in a way that is still used. Indicative of the written language, the particle に is omitted.
37. 年々様々な食材の値段が高騰する状況が続いておりますゆえ、全体的な価格の見直しをせざるをえない状況となっております。
Due to the continued state of the prices of various foodstuffs steeply rising year by year, we are compelled to do an overall price revision.
～がために
～がために is very similar to ～（が）ゆえに. As we learned in the previous lesson, it too is old-fashioned and limited almost entirely to the written language, and it similarly expresses an atypical reason/cause that brings about an atypical result, but neither the cause nor the result have to be negative in connotation in any way. Although this ought to make it more objective, because ～ために is already objective, the use of the particle が makes the grammar pattern emphatic and consequently subjective. With ～がために, it is never the case that the speaker is speaking from experience or sense of sympathy, nor is it used with the first person. Due to its subjectivity, it is also not seen in academic settings.
38. 当選したいがために看板を塗り替える人は信用できない。
I cannot credit people who change their policies to get elected.
39. 若いがために、社会人としての経験が浅くなりがちです。
Because they are young, there is a tendency that their experiences as working adults is shallow.
Both 所以 and 由縁 are read as ゆえん, which is a contraction of ゆえなり, which is Classical Japanese for “is the reason.” Each respective spelling conjures up different nuances of the noun 故 as an effect. 所以 is used to mean “reason/cause” whereas 由縁 is used to mean “origin/connection/history” and is synonymous with other words like 由緒 and 由来. Neither words are particularly used in the spoken language.
40. 所以など行方知らず。
Cause is nowhere to be found.
41. 職人が「技術は見て盗め」と言う所以だろう。
The worker would say to look at a technique and steal it.
42. 死する所以は即ち生ずる所以なり。
The reason for dying, in other words, is the reason for living.
Grammar Note: なり is the basic copula verb of Classical Japanese.
43. 人の人たる所以を学ぶ。
To study the reason for people being people.
Grammar Note: The particle の here is equivalent to the particle が, being used to mark the subject of a subordinate clause. Also, the auxiliary verb たる is a classical copula verb that is still seen in old-fashioned expressions such as Ex. 43.
44. 地名の由縁を尋ねる。
To ask about what’s related to the place name.
45. 地名の由縁を知ることで、身を守る第一歩になるかもしれない。
By knowing the affinity of place names, we might make the first step to protecting ourselves.
謂れ comes from the 未然形 of 言われる, the passive form of the verb 言う. It is used to mean either “reason/cause” or “history/origin.” It is seen frequently in the expression ～いわれはない meaning “there is no reason for.”
46. 誰もこんな目に遭う謂れはない。
There is no reason for anyone to go through such suffering.
47. 私には、こんな運命を引き受けなければならないいわれはない。
There is no reason for why I must accept such a fate as this.
48. 謂れのない噂や悪質な書き込みによって誹謗中傷される。
To be slandered by baseless rumors and malicious posts.
49. 周辺に点在している史跡や謂れのある土地を巡りました。
I went around to see historical landmarks and places with history that dot the area.
由 is a multifaceted word whose basic meaning is also “reason/cause.” However, it may also mean “method” such as in the set phrase in Ex. 53 and “piece of information,” which is seen in Ex. 51 and Ex. 52, which are examples of how it is still used in respectful speech. Otherwise, the word is truly relegated to set expressions.
50. 由ありげな問答を投げかける。
To throw meaningful dialogue.
51. この由、お伝えください。
Please convey this (to the individual).
52. お元気との由、何よりです。
I am glad to hear that you are doing well.
53. 知る由もない。
There is no way of knowing.