動機

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 動機(どうき) means the reason or impulse that leads someone to act.
• Basic usage: It is used for explaining why one applied for a position or investigating a fictional character's reasons for acting.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Reason versus the goal 目的
  • 目的(もくてき) is the goal one aims to achieve through an action. 動機 focuses on why one came to act rather than on the intended outcome.