Japanese symbol for “cause”
原因
げんいん
Romaji: gen'in
cause; origin; source
In Japanese, cause is 原因, read げんいん (gen'in).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs cause; origin; source
Written forms: 原因. Readings: げんいん、げいいん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cause”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 引き起こす | ひきおこす hikiokosu | to cause; to induce; to bring about |
| 訳 | わけ wake | reason; cause; grounds |
| 元 | もと moto | cause |
| 因 | いん in | cause; factor |
| 由 | よし yoshi | reason; significance; cause |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原作 | げんさく gensaku | original work |
| 原則 | げんそく gensoku | principle; general rule |
| 原子力 | げんしりょく genshiryoku | atomic energy; nuclear power |
| 原理 | げんり genri | principle; theory; fundamental truth |
| 原稿 | げんこう genkou | manuscript; copy; draft |
| 要因 | よういん youin | main cause; primary factor |
| 死因 | しいん shiin | cause of death |
| 一因 | いちいん ichiin | one cause; one reason; one factor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cause”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.