Onyomi: イン · Kunyomi: ちな.む, よ.る · Meanings: be associated with, be limited to, cause, depend on, factor
Kanji for be associated with, be limited to, cause, depend on, factor
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The kanji 因 combines a mouth radical 口 inside a frame or enclosure 囗. Long ago, this image represented a mouth (words, speech, or cause) inside a boundary, symbolizing something contained or originating from within. The idea was that the source or cause of something is “inside” a frame, giving rise to an effect. Over time, this pictorial image came to represent meanings like “cause,” “factor,” or “reason” — the origin of something within a defined space.
因 shows a mouth (口) inside an enclosure (囗), symbolizing the source or origin of something — the cause or reason behind it.
Picture a mouth (口) speaking inside a fenced area (囗) — the words inside create the cause or reason. That’s 因: the source of something.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 元 | もと | origin, source, beginning | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 由 | よし | reason, significance, cause | common Noun |
| 因 | いん | cause, factor | Noun |
| 縁 | よすが | something to rely on, aid, clue, way, means | Noun |
| 依る | よる | to be due to, to be caused by | common JLPT-N2 Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 因子 | いんし | factor | common Noun |
| 因縁 | いんねん | fate, destiny | common Noun |
| 因果 | いんが | cause and effect, causality | common Noun |
| 因って | よって | therefore, consequently, accordingly, for that reason | JLPT-N1 Conjunction |
| 因みに | ちなみに | by the way, in this connection, incidentally, in passing | common Conjunction |