Japanese with Manga

Cause of incidents in the pool with 原因

Kanji Explanation: Causes and dependence with 因

Manga panel from カードキャプターさくら showing example of Cause of incidents in the pool with 原因.
カードキャプターさくら » Volume 1 » Page 112

After cheerleading practice, Sakura overhears her friends talking about incidents at the school pool, where Sakura and Chiharu were among those mysteriously pulled underwater.

千春(ちはる):
「きょう　また　プールで足(あし)　引(ひ)っぱられておぼれそうになったんだって」
“I heard that today, someone got dragged under the water at the pool and almost drowned again.”
奈緒子(なおこ):
「こわいねーーー」
“That's scary!”
千春(ちはる):
「先生(せんせい)が原因(げんいん)がわからないならプール閉鎖(へいさ)するしかないっていってたよ」
“The teacher said that if they can't figure out the cause, they'll have no choice but to close the pool.”
Literal: “The teacher said that if the cause isn't known, there's no choice but to close the pool.”

Key Points

1原因(げんいん) = “cause” behind a problem
  • Here 原因(げんいん) means the cause of the pool incidents, explaining why students keep getting pulled underwater.
2原因(げんいん)がわからないなら = if the cause is unknown
  • 原因(げんいん)がわからない literally says “the cause is not known”.
  • The English translation makes the implied investigators explicit as “they can’t figure out the caused”.
3Two different が markers
  • In 先生(せんせい)が…っていってた, the first が marks the teacher as the one who said it.
  • In 原因(げんいん)がわからない, the second が marks 原因(げんいん) as what is unknown.
4閉鎖(へいさ)するしかない = have no choice but to close
  • プール閉鎖(へいさ)する is “to close the pool”, using 閉鎖(へいさ) with する as a verb.
  • 〜するしかない means there is no option except doing that action.
5Casual reported speech with っていってた
  • っていってた is casual と言(い)っていた, reporting what the teacher said.

Vocabulary

(Foot)

足(あし) means foot or leg.

(Teacher)

先生(せんせい) is a respectful title for teachers and certain professionals, including doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Speakers do not normally use it for themselves.

(Cause)

原因(げんいん) means the cause of a result or condition, often a problem, accident, or failure.

(Closure)

閉鎖(へいさ) means closing a place to entry or shutting down an organization or facility.

(To say)

言(い)う means to say or tell. It can also mean to call something by a particular name.

See Also

カードキャプターさくら © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.