おかげ

Alternative writings: お陰, お蔭, 御陰, 御蔭
JLPT:N4
Frequency:
1

a blessing or beneficence (often from God, Buddha, or fate); a gracious favor

NounUsually Kana

Examples

神のおかげで無事に手術が終わった。

Thanks to God's blessing, the surgery ended safely.

仏のおかげで家族が救われたと感じる。

I feel our family was saved by the Buddha's mercy.

田植えがうまくいったのは、天気のおかげだ。

The rice planting went well thanks to the good weather.

2

assistance or help provided by someone/something; used to express a beneficial result due to that help

NounUsually Kana

Examples

あなたのおかげで試験に合格できました。本当にありがとう。

I passed the exam thanks to you. Thank you so much.

引っ越しは友達のおかげで早く終わった。

The move finished quickly thanks to my friends' help.

先生の助言のおかげで研究が進んだ。

The research progressed thanks to the teacher's advice.

3

an effect or influence caused by something (can be positive or negative); often used in the pattern '〜のおかげで' to indicate cause

NounUsually Kana

Examples

IT技術の進歩のおかげで仕事がずいぶん効率化した。

Thanks to advances in IT technology, work has become much more efficient.

渋滞のせいで遅刻したのかと思ったが、電車の遅延が原因で、結局それもおかげの一つだった。

I thought I was late because of traffic, but it turned out the train delay was the cause — it was one of the factors.

自然の恵みのおかげで、その地方は農業が盛んだ。

Thanks to nature's gifts, agriculture is prosperous in that region.

Word Relationships

Synonyms
Antonym