N 때문에, A/V-기 때문에 express the reason for or cause of the situation described in the second clause and correspond to ‘because’ in English.

There are other ways also to say because in Korean they are 아/어서 and (으)니까.

The meaning of 아서/어서 and 기 때문에 is similar. 아서/어서 is equivalent to so and 기 때문에 is equivalent to because (of) in English. 기 때문에 has stronger feeling/ sense than 아서/어서.

‘기 때문에’ and ‘(이)기 때문에’ attach after an adjective/a verb stem and a noun respectively.It is used to talk about the reason or cause. It is mainly used in writing or in formal situations.

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N 때문에

N functions as the reason and the object of the sentence, not the subject.

friend 친구 → 친구 때문에 (Because of my friend)

rain 비 → 비 때문에 (Because of the rain)

flu 감기 → 감기 때문에 (Because of a cold)

weather 날씨 → 날씨 때문에 (Because of the weather)

bug 벌레 → 벌레 때문에 (Because of the bug)

N이기 때문에

N functions as the reason and the subject of the sentence.

친구이기 때문에 Because we’re friends

아이이기 때문에 Because I’m a child

학생이기 때문에 Because I’m a student

선생님이기 때문에 Because he/she is a teacher

A/V-기 때문에

to learn 배우다 → 배우기 때문에 (Because I’m learning)

to study 공부하다 → 공부하기 때문에 (Because I’m studying)

to be painful 아프다 → 아프기 때문에 (Because it hurts)

to be cute 귀엽다 → 귀엽기 때문에 (Because it’s cute)

to be long 길다 → 길기 때문에 (Because it’s long)

Rules of -기 때문에

Cannot be used in instructions or recommendations sentences.

날씨가 안 좋기 때문에 외출하지 마세요. (x)
날씨가 안 좋으니까 외출하지 마세요. (o)
Don’t go out because the weather is bad.

이번 주말은 엄마 생일이기 때문에 친구를 못 만나요. (o)
I can’t meet my friend this weekend because it’s my mom’s birthday.

머리가 너무 길기 때문에 자를까요? (x)
머리다 너무 길으니까 자를까요? (o)
Since my hair is too long, should I cut it?

기 때문에’ can be used with the past tense ‘-았/었/했-.’ But you cannot use ‘기 때문에’ with ‘-겠-‘ which is the future/speculation expression.

N때문에 vs N이기 때문에

학생 때문에 술집에 못 갔어요.
I couldn’t go to the bar because of my student.

vs.

학생이기 때문에 술집에 못 갔어요.
I couldn’t go to the bar because I was a student.

약속 때문에 공원에 갔어요.
I went to the park for a promise.

vs.

약속이기 때문에 공원에 갔어요.
I went to the park because it was a promise.

Examples

왜 늦었어요? Why are you late?
감기 때문에 늦잠을 잤어요. I overslept because of a cold.

왜 강아지를 키워요? Why are you having a dog as a pet?
너무 귀엽기 때문이에요. Because it’s so cute.

눈 때문에 길이 미끄러워요.
The road is slippery because of the snow.

아기 때문에 잠을 못 잤어요.
I can’t sleep because of the baby.

아직 아기이기 때문에 초콜릿을 못 먹어요.
He can’t eat chocolate because he is still a baby.

저는 학생이기 때문에 할인을 받았어요.
I got a discount because I’m a student

날씨가 좋기 때문에 산책했어요.
I took a walk because the weather was nice.

감기 때문에 병원에 갔어요.
I went to the hospital because of the cold.

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