How to Say "Because" in Korean

왜냐하면

waenyahamyeon[wɛɲa̠ɦa̠mjʌ̹n]

The English phrase 'because' can be translated into Korean using 왜냐하면 (waenyahamyeon) or 때문에.

Meaning: by or for the cause that, on this account that, for the reason that (conj)

Ways to say it

“because” in Korean
Korean	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
왜냐하면	waenyahamyeon	[wɛɲa̠ɦa̠mjʌ̹n] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [we̞ɲa̠ɦa̠mjʌ̹n] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow)
때문에	ttaemune	[t͈ɛmune̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [t͈e̞mune̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow)

때문에 is used to express a cause or reason that is directly linked to a specific noun, such as 'because of the rain'.

때문에 is a nonstandard form used as a particle following a noun to mean 'because of' or 'due to'.

When using the conjunction 왜냐하면 to explain a reason, it is grammatically natural to end the following clause with the form –기 때문이다.

waenyahamyeon

English speakers often mistakenly use 때문에 as a conjunction to connect two full clauses, but it must follow a noun.

The word 때문에 is often used in Korean to assign blame or point a finger at someone for a negative outcome.
The structure of 왜냐하면 includes a conditional element, meaning it functions like saying 'If [you ask] why, [it is because]'.
While 때문에 expresses a cause, Korean has another common way to say 'because' using -아서/어서 which cannot be used to give a command or make a suggestion.

톰은 오해 때문에 너무 일찍 왔어.
Tom came too early because of a misunderstanding.
This sentence is useful for seeing how 때문에 follows a noun to mean 'because of'.
Tatoeba #8362162 by Eunhee, translation #2774064 by sharptoothed
나는 소음 때문에 목소리를 내는 것이 어려웠다.
I found it difficult to make myself heard because of the noise.
This sentence shows the use of 때문에 to express a cause linked to a noun.
Tatoeba #12401397 by gratified3539, translation #2094933 by CK
Ami, 미안하지만 너는 우리 그룹에 들어올 수 없어 왜냐하면 그룹당 5명의 인원 제한이 있거든.
We're sorry, Ami, but you can't be part of our group because it would… you know… exceed the 5-people-per-group limit.
This sentence demonstrates the use of the conjunction 왜냐하면.
Tatoeba #9689564 by ST_Young, translation #4843716 by Ishao
저는 한국에 왔어요 왜냐하면 한국어를 배우고 싶어서요.
I came to Korea because I want to learn Korean.
비가 오니까 우산을 가져가요.
I will bring an umbrella because it's raining.
너가 늦었으니 우리가 먼저 먹어버렸어.
We ate first because you were late.
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Ji-eun and Hyeon-u are talking about why a friend is angry.

지은 Ji-eun

민수가 왜 화가 났을까?
minsuga wae hwaga nasseulkka?
Why is Min-su angry?
현우 Hyeon-woo

왜냐하면 지은이가 약속을 잊었거든.
waenyahamyon ji-euniga yaksogeul ijeotgeodeun.
It is because Ji-eun forgot the appointment.
지은 Ji-eun

정말? 내가 실수했구나.
jeongmal? naega silsuhaetguna.
Really? I made a mistake.
현우 Hyeon-woo

빨리 가서 사과해.
ppalli gaseo sagwa-hae.
Go apologize quickly.

Sources

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