Introduction
Have you ever wanted to say “a half-drunk cup of coffee” or “I almost fell down the stairs” in Japanese?
For example:
- How do you describe a book you started but haven’t finished?
- How do you say you started to laugh but stopped?
- How do you say you nearly died in an accident?
All of these use the same JLPT N3 pattern: ～かけ (～かける / ～かけの), which describes an action that began but did not reach its end.
1. Meaning: What does ～かけ mean?
The core image is simple: the action got started, but it stopped partway.
From this one image come two main meanings.
① Started but not finished
This use describes something you have begun and have not completed yet.
It very often modifies a noun.
Common English equivalents:
- half-eaten / half-drunk / half-written
- partly ~ed
- that I started but haven’t finished
机の上に飲みかけのコーヒーがあります。
There’s a half-drunk coffee on the desk.
② Almost happened, but didn’t
This use describes something that came very close to happening—the action was already beginning—but was stopped or interrupted.
Common English equivalents:
- almost ~ed
- nearly ~ed
- started to ~ (but stopped)
E.g., 笑いかけたけど、彼の真剣な顔を見てやめた。= I started to laugh, but I saw how serious his face was and stopped.
Both meanings share the idea of an unfinished action.
In ①, the focus is on the leftover thing; in ②, the focus is on the moment it was cut short.
2. Formation
Verb stem (masu-form) + かけだ
Verb stem (masu-form) + かけの + Noun
Verb stem (masu-form) + かける
Take the ます form and drop ます:
- 飲む → 飲みます → 飲みかけ
- 読む → 読みます → 読みかけ
- 食べる → 食べます → 食べかけ
- する → します → しかけ
Three shapes to know
～かけ behaves in three different ways depending on what you need.
- かけの + Noun — modifying a noun, the most common shape for meaning ①
- 書きかけのメール、読みかけの本
- かけだ — ending a sentence
- その仕事はまだやりかけだ。= That job is still only half done.
- かける — as a verb, conjugating normally (る-verb)
- 転びかけた、忘れかけている、言いかけて
Which shape goes with which meaning
Meaning ① normally appears as かけの + noun or かけだ, because you are pointing at a half-finished thing.
Meaning ② normally appears as the verb かけた, because you are describing a moment in the past.
It is very often followed by が、けど、のに or a phrase saying what stopped it.
Practical tip: a few verbs that describe a natural process also take ～かけ in the sense of “partway through”: 乾きかけの洗濯物 (laundry that is partly dry), 消えかけの文字 (writing that has nearly faded).
3. Useful Examples
① Started but not finished
「遊びに行く前に、飲みかけのジュースを片付けなさい。」
Before you go out, clear away that half-drunk juice.
食べかけのケーキを冷蔵庫に入れておきました。
I put the half-eaten cake in the fridge.
書きかけのメールを送信してしまった。
I accidentally sent an email I hadn’t finished writing.
カフェに読みかけの本を持っていこう。
I’ll take the book I’m partway through to the café.
乾きかけの洗濯物を取り込んだら、まだ少し湿っていた。
I brought in the partly dried laundry, and it was still a little damp.
② Almost happened, but didn’t
Situation: Koki arrives at the office looking shaken.
どうしたの？顔色が悪いよ。
What’s wrong? You look pale.
階段でつまずいて転びかけたんだ。手すりにつかまって踏みとどまったけど。
I tripped on the stairs and almost fell. I grabbed the handrail and caught myself, though.
交通事故にあって死にかけた。
I was in a traffic accident and nearly died.
言いかけた言葉をぐっと飲み込んだ。
I swallowed the words I had started to say.
怒りかけたが、深呼吸をして気持ちを落ち着けた。
I started to get angry, but I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.
ゲームをクリアしかけたのに、最後にミスしてしまった。
I almost cleared the game, but I made a mistake right at the end.
その映像を見て、忘れかけていた思い出が蘇った。
Watching that footage, memories I had nearly forgotten came back to me.
4. Related grammar (comparison)
～始はじめる
Both attach to the ます-stem, but they look at opposite ends of the action.
～始める says the action got going; ～かける says it did not get finished.
- 手紙を書き始めた。= I started writing a letter. (and probably continued)
- 手紙を書きかけた。= I started a letter but broke off. (it’s unfinished)
～終おわる
～終わる is the natural opposite of meaning ①, so the two often appear in the same conversation.
- 読み終わった本は棚に戻してください。= Please put the books you’ve finished back on the shelf.
- まだ読みかけなので、机に置いておきます。= I’m still partway through it, so I’ll leave it on the desk.
～始める and ～終わる are called “Compound Verbs / 複合動詞”. See this article: Japanese Compound Verbs (複合動詞): ～出す, ～始める, ～続ける, ～合う & More
～ところだった
Vる + ところだった also means “almost,” but it describes a result you narrowly avoided.
～かける focuses on the action physically beginning.
- 危なく遅刻するところだった。= I almost ended up late. (but I wasn’t)
- 名前を呼びかけた。= I started to call out his name. (the voice had begun)
Set words built on ～かける
Some かける compounds have become independent vocabulary with their own meanings, where かける means “direct an action toward someone.”
- 話しかける = to speak to someone / strike up a conversation
- 問いかける = to pose a question to someone
Context makes these clear: 知らない人に話しかけられた (= A stranger spoke to me) means someone spoke to you, not that they half-spoke.
5. Common Mistake: ～かける vs. ～そうになる
Both translate as “almost,” and in some sentences either works.
The difference is whether the action actually began.
Remember this golden rule:
- ～かける: the action started and was cut off partway.
- ～そうになる: the action was on the verge of happening but never began.
Example: I almost said something I shouldn’t have.
- 「秘密を言いかけた」= I began to say the secret—some words came out—then stopped.
- 「秘密を言いそうになった」= I came close to saying it, but never opened my mouth.
There is also a limit on meaning ①.
～かけ needs an action that takes time to complete, so purely instantaneous verbs (like turning on a light or dropping something) don’t work for the “half-finished” meaning.
- ❌ Incorrect: 電気をつけかけのまま出かけた。(I went out with the lights half-turned on.)
- ✅ Correct: 電気をつけたまま出かけた。(I went out with the lights left on.)
And one point of word order: with meaning ①, かけ attaches to a noun with の.
❌ 飲みかけコーヒー is wrong; say 飲みかけのコーヒー.
6. Practice
Translate the following into Japanese using ～かけ.
| Clue | Example Answer |
|---|---|
| There’s a half-eaten apple on the table. | テーブルの上に食べかけのりんごがあります。 |
| My homework is still only half done. | 宿題はまだやりかけです。 |
| I almost forgot her name. | 彼女の名前を忘れかけた。 |
| I started to answer, but the teacher called on someone else. | 答えかけたが、先生はほかの人を当てた。 |
7. FAQ
- QHow do I know whether ～かけ means ‘half-finished’ or ‘almost’?
- A
Look at the shape and at the verb.
かけの + noun, or かけだ at the end of a sentence, points at a leftover object, so it is meaning ①: 飲みかけのお茶。
かけた followed by が、けど or のに describes a moment that got interrupted, so it is meaning ②: 立ち上がりかけたが、また座った。
- QIs 死にかける really used in everyday conversation?
- A
Yes. 死にかける is the standard way to say someone came close to dying, in both serious accounts and casual exaggeration.
The same goes for other sudden, involuntary events: 溺れかける (nearly drown), 倒れかける (nearly collapse).
These almost always appear in the past tense, because you are reporting a close call that is over.
- QCan I use ～かけ with する-verbs?
- A
Yes. Replace する with し: 準備しかけの料理、説明しかけてやめた。
That said, a する-verb with ～かけ can sound heavy. In casual speech, people often use 途中まで or やりかけ instead: 準備は途中までしかしていない。
Conclusion
In this article, you learned that ～かけ describes an action that began but never reached its end—either a half-finished thing or something that almost happened.
With this grammar, you can now:
- describe half-finished food, books, and work with かけの + noun,
- talk about close calls and interrupted moments with かけた,
- and tell ～かける apart from ～始める, ～ところだった, and ～そうになる.
