因 means “cause”

いん · in

Also: factor, be associated with, depend on

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

よる, ちなむ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

イン

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 6 strokes

The story

A big (大) figure boxed in (囗): picture someone trapped and ask what put them there. 因 is a cause: 原因 is the cause of anything, and Buddhism's 因果 ties every cause (因) to its fruit (果).

Used in 原因 (gen'in, cause), 要因 (youin, main factor), and 因果 (inga, cause and effect)

More from Cause & Reason

• 当 hit
• 性 nature
• 的 target
• 要 need
• 直 straight
• 果 fruit
• 必 certain
• 無 nothing
• 常 usual
• 由 reason
• 例 example
• 然 so

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.