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Jisho gives "consequence; result; effect" with an example sentence

それは、おまえの声をよく聞くためだよ。(It is in order to hear your voice well.)

Tangorin gives "consequence;  result;  effect" with an example sentence.

霧のため全列車は運転休止となった。(Railroad service was suspended because of the fog.)

In the former, "consequence; result; effect" seems to mean "in order to" or "aim". In the latter, "consequence; result; effect" seems to mean "cause" or "because of".

It seems some translations from Japanese to English are confusing.

How should I interpret Japanese-English dictionaries in this case?

Edit 1. The second entry here seems more accurate: "〔理由,原因〕 because"

昨日風邪のため学校を休んだ (I was absent from school yesterday because of a cold.)

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    I think the ため in それはおまえの声をよく聞くためだよ indicates #2 "sake, purpose, objective, aim"(=目的) rather than #3 "consequence, result, effect"(=理由、原因)... because it can't be rephrased as それはお前の声を聞くからだよ or お前の声を聞くので. (jisho.org の例文、なんか怪しくない~?)
    – Chocolate
    May 14, 2016 at 9:29
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    How should I interpret japanese-english dictionaries in this case? >> You're looking at the same dictionary (edict), but on two different web sites. [By the way, Tangorin's dictionary files have not been updated for about four years.]
    – oals
    May 14, 2016 at 9:41
  • @chocolate jisho.orgの例文はたぶん赤ずきんという童話からの文でしょう。
    – oals
    May 14, 2016 at 9:47
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    @oals そうでしょうね。「怪しくない~?」は、その例文が自然でないという意味ではなく、「consequence, result, effect」の例文としてそれを使うところがおかしい、と言いたかったんです
    – Chocolate
    Nov 26, 2016 at 12:54
  • Jisho's example sentences are of poor quality. I always prefer goo when I want example sentences.
    – Axe
    Feb 22, 2022 at 1:06

2 Answers 2

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ため can have a handful of meanings. When used with a controllable situation, it means "for the good of" or "for the purpose of":

体を強くするために毎日プールで泳いでいる

"In order to strengthen my body, I swim in the pool every day"

会社のため朝から晩まで働いている

"He works from morning to night for the sake of his company"

In non-controllable situations, it specifies a cause or effect:

仕事のために何も他の事が出来ない

"Because of the job I can't do anything else"

If the part before ため is in the past tense, or an adjective, it also means cause or reason:

私は父が死んだため大学に行けなかった

"I couldn't go to college because my father died"

親が甘かったため子供がダメになった

"Because the parents were soft, the children got spoiled"

字が下手なため人に笑われた

"I was laughed at because my handwriting is poor"

All of these sentences are from A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

In short, the meanings vary greatly depending on what qualifies ため。

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  • Surely “仕事のために何も他のことができない” can also mean “I can't do anything else for my job.”? Or am I wrong about that?
    – Zorf
    Mar 19 at 13:11
  • The me of a year later doesn't think my example sentence makes sense, sorry. 仕事のため時間がない sounds ok for "because of my job I don't have time". I don't know what "I can't do anything else for my job" means.
    – Riolku
    Mar 20 at 15:50
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目的(aim)の例文。 姫、あなたのために失われた王冠を取り戻して参りました。

原因(cause;because of)と結果(consequence; result; effect)は反対のように思えますが、yetを日本語に置き換えるときに「もう」なのか「まだ」なのかで正反対に感じられます。

日本人は中学校の授業で、yetという単語を習ったときに、「英語はものごとを正確に言い分けできない言語なのか?」と疑問に感じます。どのような言語も、互いに納得が行かず、不思議に感じることがありますね。

rememberを日本語に置き換えるときには「忘れない」なのか「覚えている」なのかは日本人には全く判然としません。

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