〜せいか
N2sei ka
perhaps because; maybe due to
Formation
Verb-plain / i-Adj / na-Adj + な / Noun + の + せいか
Chinese meanings
也许是因为
Chinese formation
动词・い形容词普通形+せいか;な形容词词干+な+せいか;名词+のせいか
Chinese usage
表示不确定的原因,通常用于不理想或中性的结果。
Chinese notes
好的结果也可用おかげか。
Examples
- 年のせいか、最近疲れが取れにくくなった。Maybe it's my age, but lately it takes longer to recover from fatigue.也许是年纪的缘故,最近疲劳不容易消除。
- 昨夜遅くまで起きていたせいか、今日は頭がぼんやりしている。Perhaps because I stayed up late last night, my head feels foggy today.也许是昨晚熬夜的缘故,今天头脑昏沉。
- 気のせいか、彼女は少し元気がないように見えた。Maybe it was just my imagination, but she seemed a little down.也许是我的错觉,她看起来有点没精神。
Notes
The speaker isn't sure of the cause. Mostly for bad or neutral results; for good results おかげか is also used.
#reason#conjecture
Related N2 grammar
Use this entry in code
import { getGrammarById } from 'kotowa';
getGrammarById('sei-ka');
{
"id": "sei-ka",
"pattern": "〜せいか",
"romaji": "sei ka",
"level": "N2",
"meaning": "perhaps because; maybe due to",
"formation": "Verb-plain / i-Adj / na-Adj + な / Noun + の + せいか",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "年のせいか、最近疲れが取れにくくなった。",
"furigana": "{年|とし}のせいか、{最近|さいきん}{疲|つか}れが{取|と}れにくくなった。",
"en": "Maybe it's my age, but lately it takes longer to recover from fatigue."
},
{
"ja": "昨夜遅くまで起きていたせいか、今日は頭がぼんやりしている。",
"furigana": "{昨夜|さくや}{遅|おそ}くまで{起|お}きていたせいか、{今日|きょう}は{頭|あたま}がぼんやりしている。",
"en": "Perhaps because I stayed up late last night, my head feels foggy today."
},
{
"ja": "気のせいか、彼女は少し元気がないように見えた。",
"furigana": "{気|き}のせいか、{彼女|かのじょ}は{少|すこ}し{元気|げんき}がないように{見|み}えた。",
"en": "Maybe it was just my imagination, but she seemed a little down."
}
],
"tags": [
"reason",
"conjecture"
],
"notes": "The speaker isn't sure of the cause. Mostly for bad or neutral results; for good results おかげか is also used.",
"zh": {
"status": "reviewed",
"source_hash": "73ce361817b3791986979a41b0976f9bb92030b815d1ce7d02b1170e3efd930f",
"meanings": [
"也许是因为"
],
"formation": "动词・い形容词普通形+せいか;な形容词词干+な+せいか;名词+のせいか",
"explanation": "表示不确定的原因,通常用于不理想或中性的结果。",
"notes": "好的结果也可用おかげか。",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "年のせいか、最近疲れが取れにくくなった。",
"zh": "也许是年纪的缘故,最近疲劳不容易消除。"
},
{
"ja": "昨夜遅くまで起きていたせいか、今日は頭がぼんやりしている。",
"zh": "也许是昨晚熬夜的缘故,今天头脑昏沉。"
},
{
"ja": "気のせいか、彼女は少し元気がないように見えた。",
"zh": "也许是我的错觉,她看起来有点没精神。"
}
],
"references": [
"sources/grammar/n2.json#sei-ka",
"Original Chinese authored and reviewed by Codex; no independent human review"
],
"reviewer": "Codex",
"review_method": "ai",
"reviewed_at": "2026-10-28",
"review_hash": "9bfbd707744bc50256d700b5f6c640009e710d5c05f372cacbc20f1b3068a9a6"
}
}