Quick tip Guideline

“Due to” and “because of” cannot be used interchangeably(区別しないで).

Explanation

“Due to” is an adjectival expression that answers the question “which one” or “what kind of.”

（どれ？なんの？という質問に対する形容的な表現）"Due to" means caused by, and not because of. The rule of thumb (経験則) when framing constructions with “due to” is as follows: if “due to” can be substituted with “caused by” without making the sentence sound improper (不適切にならなければ), the expression is correct. If not, the expression needs to be revised to “because of” or “owing to.”

Example Incorrect: …while the bond is hidden in the second monolayer due to the formation of a stacked bilayer structure.

Correct: …while the bond is hidden in the second monolayer because of the formation of a stacked bilayer structure.