因为
because
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yīnwèi
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 10
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 5
Stroke order for 因为
因为 is written with 10 strokes (因: 6, 为: 4). The animation replays automatically.
What does 因为 mean?
因为 (yīnwèi) is the Chinese conjunction for 'because.'
It introduces the reason for something and is the workhorse word for causal sentences. The most natural pattern is the paired construction 因为…所以… ('because…, therefore…'): 因为下雨，所以我没去 ('Because it rained, I didn't go'). Unlike English, Chinese typically keeps BOTH halves — dropping 所以 sounds incomplete to native ears, especially in writing. 因为 can stand at the start of the sentence (giving the reason first) or after the main clause (giving the reason as an explanation): 我没去，因为下雨了.
To ask 'why?' use 为什么 (wèishénme); to answer, start with 因为. In rapid speech, the second syllable is often shortened to a neutral tone: yīnwei.
Character by character
Memory hook: Literally 'cause-for' — the reason FOR which something happens. Pair it with 所以 (suǒyǐ) like a hand-in-glove: because…, therefore…
Hear 因为 in real episodes
因为 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
因为他欠甜品店的钱。
Because he owes money to a dessert shop.
A Senator Pays a Bakery Bill After Six Years and a Viral Post
因为箱子不一样，有的箱子大，有的箱子小。
Because the boxes are not the same; some boxes are big, and some boxes are small.
Walmart Robots Struggle With Everyday GoodsElementary
因为中微子什么都能穿过，所以科学家一直很难看到它们。
Because neutrinos can pass through anything, scientists have always found them very hard to see.
Francis Halzen Wins the Physics Nobel for Turning a Cubic Kilometer of Antarctic Ice Into a Telescope for Ghost ParticlesElementary
今天，鼠疫已经不那么可怕了，因为我们有抗生素。
Today, plague is not so frightening anymore, because we have antibiotics.
A Russian Lab Worker Died After a Test Tube Broke at a Plague Institute. Russia Says It Wasn't Plague, but Quarantined 200 People.
Example sentences
因为下雨，所以我没去。
Yīnwèi xià yǔ, suǒyǐ wǒ méi qù.
Because it rained, I didn't go.
neutral
我喜欢他，因为他很好。
Wǒ xǐhuan tā, yīnwèi tā hěn hǎo.
I like him because he's nice.
spoken
因为太累了，他早早就睡了。
Yīnwèi tài lèi le, tā zǎozǎo jiù shuì le.
Because he was too tired, he went to bed early.
neutral
我学中文是因为我喜欢中国文化。
Wǒ xué Zhōngwén shì yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó wénhuà.
I'm learning Chinese because I love Chinese culture.
neutral
Common phrases with 因为
Synonyms
由于 is the formal/written equivalent of 因为, common in news, reports, and essays. In everyday speech, 因为 is the default; 由于 sounds bookish.
因 alone means 'because' but is more literary and concise — used in headlines and formal writing (因故取消 — 'cancelled due to circumstances'). In conversation, always say 因为.
Don't confuse 因为 with
为了 means 'in order to / for the sake of' (purpose, future-oriented). 因为 means 'because' (reason, past/present cause). 为了健康 ('for health') vs 因为健康 ('because of health,' usually as a problem).
因此 means 'therefore / for this reason' — it's the THEN-half, not the BECAUSE-half. Don't swap 因为 (cause) with 因此 (consequence).
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 因为 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 因为 in 5 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.