〜かける／〜かけの kakeru / kake no

〜かける／〜かけの（kakeru / kake no）means “to half-do; half-finished, in the middle of”. Attached to a verb's ます-stem, 〜かける means an action was begun but not completed — it stopped partway. Formation: V-ます（去ます）+ かける ／ V-ます（去ます）+ かけの + N

to half-do; half-finished, in the middle of

N3

Formation

V-ます（去ます）+ かける ／ V-ます（去ます）+ かけの + N

Explanation

Attached to a verb's ます-stem, 〜かける means an action was begun but not completed — it stopped partway. The noun-modifying form 〜かけの describes a half-done thing (e.g. a half-eaten meal). It expresses being in the middle of something, not its completion.

Examples

テーブルに食べかけのパンが置いてある。
てーぶるにたべかけのぱんがおいてある。
There's a half-eaten piece of bread left on the table.
何か言いかけて、彼は急に黙ってしまった。
なにかいいかけて、かれはきゅうにだまってしまった。
He started to say something, then suddenly fell silent.

Note

A few verbs like 死にかける ('be on the verge of dying') instead mean 'about to ~', so context matters.

FAQ

〜かける／〜かけの — what does it mean and how is it used?

to half-do; half-finished, in the middle of. Attached to a verb's ます-stem, 〜かける means an action was begun but not completed — it stopped partway. The noun-modifying form 〜かけの describes a half-done thing (e.g. a half-eaten meal). It expresses being in the middle of something, not its completion.

〜かける／〜かけの — how do you form it?

V-ます（去ます）+ かける ／ V-ます（去ます）+ かけの + N

〜かける／〜かけの — any usage notes?

A few verbs like 死にかける ('be on the verge of dying') instead mean 'about to ~', so context matters.

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