aspect N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜かける — to be half-way ~ing / on the verge of ~
〜かける ・ かける
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- start to ~ but not finish / be half-way through ~ing / be on the verge of ~ — an action begun or imminent, not completed
Key sentence
何か言いかけて、やめた。
He started to say something, then stopped.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ます-stem) | V(stem) + かける | 食べかける / 死にかける / やりかける |
Examples
テーブルに食べかけのパンが置いてあった。
A half-eaten piece of bread was left on the table.
おぼれて死にかけた子供を助けた。
They rescued a child who was on the verge of drowning.
Easily confused with
〜切る Opposite points on an action's arc: 〜かける = only started, left incomplete; 〜切る = carried all the way through to completion (読みかける 'start reading' vs 読み切る 'finish reading'). ところ ているところ pins the moment an action is actively in progress right now. 〜かける highlights that it was merely begun (and often abandoned) or is just about to happen — not necessarily ongoing.
Notes
- Two related shades: 'begun but unfinished' (読みかけの本 = 'a book I'm part-way through') and 'on the verge of' (倒れかける = 'almost collapse'). The noun form 〜かけ means 'half-done' (食べかけ).
See 〜かける in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜かける the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.