-기 때문에
because; since
Attaches to a verb, adjective, or noun clause (noun + 이기 때문에) to give the reason or cause for what follows—'because.' It sounds a bit more formal/written than -아/어서 and works well before formal endings.
Form
- Attaches to
- Verb, Adjective, 이다, Auxiliary
- Other shapes
- -기 때문이다
Meanings
- 1
An expression used to indicate that the preceding statement is the reason or cause for the following incident.
앞의 내용이 뒤에 오는 일의 원인이나 까닭임을 나타내는 표현.
Examples
엄마에게 거짓말을 한 건 엄마가 화를 낼까 봐 무서웠기 때문이지?
You lied to Mom because you were scared she'd get angry, right?
네, 잘못했어요. 이제는 거짓말을 하지 않을게요.
Yes, I was wrong. I won't lie anymore.
승규가 갑자기 컴퓨터를 바꾼 것은 속도가 너무 느려졌기 때문이었다.
The reason Seunggyu suddenly replaced his computer was because it had gotten too slow.
지수는 항상 성적이 좋았기 때문에 성적이 떨어진 것에 크게 충격을 받았다.
Because Jisu's grades had always been good, she was greatly shocked when they dropped.
모든 사람들의 생각이 똑같을 수는 없기 때문에 갈등이 일어난다.
Conflict arises because not everyone can think the same way.
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘-기 때문에’ mean?
2. Which form means “because; since”?