かける
- 1An action has been started but left unfinished (half-done), often in the noun form かけ modifying a noun.Ex. 1
- 2Something is on the verge of happening or almost happens, often with non-volitional events.Ex. 2
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Used in both conversation and writing to describe unfinished actions or near-misses. With deliberate actions like 読む or 食べる, it usually means "half-done" and often appears in the noun form かけ. With events outside one's control, such as being hit or dying, it means "almost" and often combines with ところだった to stress a narrow escape.
Do not attach かける to the dictionary form. Use the ます-stem (読みかける, not 読むかける).
Note that かけ usually links to a noun with の (読みかけの本). The compound 読みかけ本 exists but is less standard.
Note that compounds like 話しかける ("speak to someone") use かける in a different sense of directing an action at someone.
- 〜るところだN3「〜るところだ」attaches to the 辞書形 and indicates an action is about to begin but has not yet started, whereas「かける」attaches to the ます形 and, in its first sense, means the action has already started but is unfinished — the two cannot be interchanged. かける's second sense, "almost happened," is close to「〜るところだった」, and the two are often used together.
- ようとするN3「ようとする」attaches to the 意向形 and expresses the subject trying to do something, or an action or change being about to begin, focusing on the stage before it is realized; 「かける」attaches to the ます形 and means something has started but not been finished, or nearly happened. The two generally cannot be directly interchanged.
- ところだったN2Only the "almost happened" sense overlaps: 「かける」, which attaches to the ます形, focuses on the situation already closing in, while「ところだった」, which attaches to the 辞書形 or ない形, stresses that it ultimately did not happen and carries a sense of relief or a close call — the two are often used together. 「ところだった」can also mean "was just about to do something at the time."
- きるN3「きる」also attaches to the ます形 of a verb. For actions it is the opposite of「かける」— かける means "done halfway" while きる means "done completely" — and きる can also express a state reaching its extreme, which differs from かける's "almost happened," so the two cannot be interchanged.
- 出すN4「出す」focuses on the very moment an action begins, often with a sense of suddenness, as in「泣き出す」; 「かける」focuses on the half-finished, incomplete state, or on something nearly happening, without emphasizing the start. Both attach to the ます形, but they cannot be interchanged.
〜るところだ and ようとする describe the moment just before an action (the latter often with intent), while かける can mean the action has already begun and stopped partway. ところだった marks a near-miss and often follows かける (ひかれかけて…ところだった), whereas きる means doing something completely and 出す means something suddenly begins.
