掛(か)けHalf-, Not yet finished, About to, Begin to

Structure

Verb［stem］+ かけだ
Verb［stem］+ かける
Verb［stem］+ かけの + Noun

Details

About かけ

Being an unofficial helper verb, かけ is what is known as a 造語(ぞうご) (neologism), and carries one specific meaning when used in conjunction with other words. This is similar to 向(む)け. かけ comes from the verb 掛(か)ける 'to suspend', and may be attached to the conjunctive form or other verbs, in order to convey that they are 'unfinished'. Usually this translates as 'half (A)', 'about to (A)', or 'not yet finished (A)'.

かけ behaves like a noun, so may be followed by the case marking particle の when attached directly to another noun, or by だ when at the end of a sentence.

Occasionally, the verb 掛(か)ける itself may be used instead of the noun form, かけ.

Fun Fact

As the literal meaning of 掛(か)ける is 'to suspend', it expresses that something is stuck somewhere in the process of happening. This is similar to taking a photo of someone that is jumping. In the photo it will look like they are 'suspended', but that is only because one particular moment has been captured, somewhere between the start and the finish. かけ conveys exactly the same meaning, and therefore may be interpreted differently, depending on the verb it is paired with.

With verbs that express a momentary action (something that cannot be 'half' done), かけ will convey that the action was 'on the verge of' happening.

However, with verbs that are ongoing actions, かけ will simply imply that they are 'in the process' of being done.

Antonyms

Examples

--:--

食(た)べ掛(か)けのケーキでも良(よ)ければありますよ。

I have some half-eaten cake, if you would like.

描(か)き掛(か)けの絵(え)を早(はや)く完成(かんせい)させたい。

I want to finish this half-drawn picture quickly.

この時計(とけい)壊(こわ)れ掛(か)けだけど、ないよりはいいか。

This watch is half-broken, but is still better than nothing.

忘(わす)れ掛(か)けていた思(おも)い出(で)が急(きゅう)に蘇(よみがえ)った。

The half-forgotten memory suddenly came back.

交通(こうつう)事故(じこ)で危(あや)うく死(し)に掛(か)けた。

I nearly died in the car accident. (half-dead)

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かけ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

mrnoone

English translation:
half-
not yet finished
about to
begin to

Structure:
Verb[stem] + かけだ
Verb[stem] + かける
Verb[stem] + かけの + Noun

Explanation:
Used to express that something is not yet finished. Something is about to be done/happen or something begins. Something is half done.

View on Bunpro
eefara
Is there any way to distinguish between “half-” and “about to” with かけ? For example, the first example sentence:

今日の宿題はもう終わりかけです。

The given English translation is “Today’s homework is about to be finished .”, but is there anything other than context stopping this from being read as “Today’s homework is half-finished.”?
testing
描きかけの絵を早く完成させたい。
“I want to finish this half-drawn picture quickly.”

What’s the させる there? It looks like causative, I don’t understand how “make/let sb. do” fits with the translation.
mrnoone
Hey @testing !
You have a good eye!

Actually, 完成する is closer to intransitive verb by itself, meaning ‘to be completed’.

新作映画が完成した。
The new movie has been completed.

In order to make it more transitive, we can use a kind of trick - using causative form.

In other words, using させる will make it transitive so you can use it like this:

絵を完成させる。
I will complete the paining.

Using causative form this way also often adds strong nuance that it will be speaker/writer who will do the verb.

I hope it helps,
Cheers!

PS
You can use this method with other verbs like 終わる、making it into transitive 終わらせる (instead of using 終える). This can be used to emphasize the nuance mentioned above, or to show eagerness to do soemthing.

宿題を終わらせる
To finish homework.
testing
Ah, interesting - thanks! Is there any way to spot that it’s not the usual meaning of making/letting other people do it? I googled around a bit, and there were hardly any other examples besides 完成 for it. It feels a bit weird that it adds that nuance, considering that it’s usually about the opposite (making other people do things).

I guess I might just have to file it under “Japanese is weird sometimes” and slowly get the feeling for it while seeing it in the wild.
Fuga
Hey @testing !

The only way you can really spot that it is not the usual meaning of making other people do it is usually by looking at the context. For example, for sentences like, 描きかけの絵を早く完成させたい, you can assume that it is used with the nuance of ‘making myself do something’, because of the たい at the end of the sentence. Also, words like 終わらせる and 完成させる are often used when the speaker wants to make themselves finish/complete something, and not used when the speaker wants to make another person finish or complete something. So, yes, it is one of those ‘Japanese is weird sometimes’ kind of thing.

I hope that helps!
electrosuccess
Hello, I’ve got a question about the sentence:

私わたしは、何冊なんさつも読よみ掛かけの本ほんがある。(読よむ)

I have a lot of books that are half-read.

Wouldn’t 読み掛けた本 be correct here? It’s not accepted as a correct answer.
Fuga
Hey @electrosuccess !

Since your answer could work, we have added a hint for it!