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Formation: V-plain / い-adj / な-adj + な / N + の + せいか

Gives a likely cause the speaker is not sure about: "maybe it's because of X". Because it comes from せい (blame), it most often explains a negative state, but it is also used for neutral or good results, as in 薬が効いたせいか. The fixed phrase 気のせいか means "maybe it's just my imagination". It is common in speech and writing, and the main clause describes a state or result, not an intention or request. Do not confuse it with 〜せいで / 〜せいだ, which state a definite cause and assign blame for a bad result with no uncertainty; also compare 〜おかげで, which states a definite cause of a good result, and 〜ばかりに, which blames one definite cause for a bad result, often with regret.

Variants: 気のせいか

Examples

• 年のせいか、最近疲れやすくなった。
  Perhaps because of my age, I've been getting tired easily lately.
• 昨夜よく眠れなかったせいか、朝から頭が痛い。
  Maybe because I didn't sleep well last night, I've had a headache since this morning.
• 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 looked a little down.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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