genin ga wakaranai baai wa, senpai ni soudanshiyou.

If you don't know the cause, let's consult a senior.

Breakdown of genin ga wakaranai baai wa, senpai ni soudanshiyou.

• は: topic particle
• が: subject particle
• に: indirect object particle
• 分わかる: to understand

Questions & Answers about genin ga wakaranai baai wa, senpai ni soudanshiyou.

Why is it 原因が and not 原因は?

With 分かる, the thing that is understood (or not understood) is normally marked by が: Xが分かる = “understand/know X.” So 原因が分からない means “(I/you/we) don’t know the cause.” Using は inside this clause would shift to a contrastive topic: 原因は分からない (“As for the cause, [at least] we don’t know it”), which is possible but adds a contrastive nuance. The neutral, standard choice here is が.

Why can’t it be 原因を分からない?

Standard Japanese uses が with 分かる: Xが分かる. You will hear Xを分かる in some casual speech or dialects, but it’s nonstandard and best avoided in writing and in exams. Stick with 原因が分からない.

What’s the difference between 分かる and 知る?

• 分かる = to understand/recognize/realize; the understood thing takes が: 原因が分からない.
• 知る = to come to know (moment of learning). For ongoing knowledge, Japanese uses 知っている. To say “I don’t know the cause,” you can say 原因を知らない. Both 原因が分からない and 原因を知らない are fine; 分からない leans toward “can’t figure it out/understand,” while 知らない is “don’t have the information.”

Who is the subject in 原因が分からない? Isn’t it “I”?