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In Japanese, we often see where the beginnings of multiple words are taken to
make a contraction word.

>   * 短大 → **短** 期 **大** 学 → A juniour college
>   * 収支 → **収** 入と **支** 出 → income and expenditure; earnings and expenses
>   * 国連 → **国** 際 **連** 合 → The United Nations
>   * リモコン → **リモ** ート **コン** トロール → Remote control(ler)
>

However, `因果` is an abbreviation for 原 **因** と結 **果**. I can't say I've seen
any other words formed by combining the end pieces. Why did 因果 come about this
way? Why isn't the abbreviation `原結`?

If you have other examples please list them.

* * *

Edit: Oops, yes, of course I meant `結果`, not `効果`. I was multitasking and my
wires got crossed.
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words abbreviations
[因果]{いん・が}: A bass-ackwards contraction?
Do you mean 原因と結果？

因 signifies the cause, as in 原因 or 要因.

果 signifies the result, as in 結果 or 効果.

So when you make the contraction, you are using the kanji that holds those
individual meanings. In this case, it wouldn't make sense to not use those
kanji. In the example you gave, 原効 doesn't hold the intended meaning.

So in this particular case, it seems the words are derived from Chinese from
Sanskrit. See [Gogen](http://gogen-allguide.com/i/inga.html) and [Wikipedia
JP](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%A0%E6%9E%9C). I don't know what the
technical term is but conceptually, it seem the 原因・結果's relation to 因果 was
applied after the fact. I don't think it is like your typical Japanese
contraction but it has more to do with the Chinese derivation of the word.
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Perhaps the following would reek of Chinese thinking, where 原因 for example is
traditionally thought of as _two_ words.

原因 = 因 of the 原, i.e. causing reason

結果 = 果 which has 結, i.e. the produced result

Both words arose in Chinese as a way to eliminate homophones by adding
redundant adjectives (obviously all reasons are causing, and all results are
produced). The original words are simply 因 and 果; thus they are used in
compounds. Put it another way, the compound "因果" probably is older than the
words "原因" and "結果", which came after sound changes caused much homophones.

This is similar to how 葉{は} had too many homophones and useless っぱ was added,
and 田{た} had too many homophones and んぼ was added; you still use は and た in
compounds though.
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「因果」 literally means "cause and effect".

```

    It is often used in the phrase 「因果関係」, "a causal relationship".
    
```

「因果」 is a combination of two ideas 「因」 as in 「要因」 and 「果」 as in 「結果」.

This kind of word formation where two elements of opposite meaning are
combined to mean "A and B" is very common in Chinese and Japanese as in words
like

```

    「善悪」 - "good and evil"
    「生死」 - "life and death"
    「勝負」 - "victory and defeat"
    「山海」 - "mountain and ocean"
    「白黒」 - "white and black"
    「是非」 - "that which is good and that which is bad"
    「賛否」 - "agreement and disagreement"
    「因果」 - "cause and effect"
    
```
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Some may have implied this but let me make it even clearer.

Consider Chinese syntax.

There have been 2-char words in the Chinese languages since long ago. One
particular way of coining such words is, to combine two words together with
one being the entity and the other being a decorator.

For example:

  * 偏见 ("prejudice", n) is from 偏 ("slanted", adj) and 见 ("view", n).
  * 想象 ("imagine", v) is from 想 ("think", v) and 象 ("image", n).

The basic rule is:

  * v + n = v
  * adj + n = n

As we can see:

  * 原因 = 原 ("original", adj) + 因 ("cause", n)
  * 結果 = 結 ("to generate" or "[the] generated"; the implicit subject is the plant, from which the fruit is obtained) + 果 ("fruit", n)

Although 結果 is v+n, it is not used as a verb in real use. Instead, it is used
as a noun or a conjunction. So when 結果 is used as a noun, it inherits the part
of speech of 果.

In result, if you would like to coin a new contradiction-style 2-char noun
based on two 2-char nouns, the best way should be to pick up their noun parts,
respectively.

* * *

Further readings:

The Chinese languages don't necessarily distinguish parts of speech in
writing. 想象 ("imagine", v, "imagined", past, "imagined", past participle), 想象
("imagining", present participle), 想象 ("imagination", n), 想象 ("to imagine",
infinitive), 想象的 ("imaginative", adj), and 想象力 ("imaginative force", n) all
use the same substring "想象".
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