〜おかげで

〜おかげで gives the cause of a GOOD outcome, with a feeling of gratitude: 先生のおかげで合格できた (thanks to my teacher, I passed). The word おかげ originally means "protection, blessing," so this pattern always carries the sense of "receiving a favor from someone or something."

The connection is the same as せいで: noun + のおかげで, な-adjective + なおかげで, verbs and い-adjectives take the plain form. To say it briefly at the end of a sentence, use 〜おかげです: 皆さんのおかげです (it's all thanks to everyone). In conversation, Japanese speakers also use it sarcastically: あなたのおかげで失敗した ("thanks to" you, I failed) — deliberately using おかげで for a bad outcome as an indirect reproach.

Distinguish it clearly from せいで: both give a cause, but おかげで goes with an outcome you are glad about and implies thanks, while せいで goes with a bad outcome and implies blame. If you just want to state a neutral cause, with neither praise nor blame, plain から・ので is enough.

Examples

• 先生(せんせい)のおかげで、試験(しけん)に合格(ごうかく)できました。

  Thanks to my teacher, I passed the exam.

• 薬(くすり)を飲(の)んだおかげで、熱(ねつ)が下(さ)がりました。

  Thanks to taking the medicine, my fever went down.

• 家族(かぞく)が手伝(てつだ)ってくれたおかげで、引(ひ)っ越(こ)しが早(はや)く終(お)わりました。

  Thanks to my family helping, the move was finished early.

Related patterns

• 〜せいで／せいか
• 〜によって／により