When attached to the stem of a verb, 〜かけ (kake) indicates that an action is incomplete, or only partially done. For example, 食べかけ (tabekake) means 'half-eaten' or 'in the middle of eating'.
This suffix can also imply that something is left unfinished or is in an intermediate state. It's often used for physical actions.
For instance, 読みかけの本 (yomikake no hon) refers to 'an unfinished book' or 'a book that is halfway through being read'.
Understanding 〜かけ helps you express actions that are not yet complete, which is very useful in everyday Japanese conversation.
〜かけ en 30 secondes
- halfway done
- partially completed
- in the middle of
§ Understanding ~kake: halfway through
When you hear native Japanese speakers, you'll often pick up on small suffixes that change the meaning of a word. One of these is ～かけ (kake). This suffix is used to describe something that is only partially done, or in the middle of being done. Think of it as 'halfway through' or 'in the process of'. It attaches to the stem of a verb or a noun, and it's super useful for describing unfinished actions or states. Let's break down how it's used in real-life situations, from work to school and even in the news.
§ At work: describing unfinished tasks
In a work environment, ～かけ can be handy for talking about tasks that aren't quite finished. It clearly communicates that something is still in progress.
このレポートはまだ書きかけです。
- Hint
- This report is still being written / halfway written.
Here, 書きかけ (kakikake) means the report is 'half-written' or 'in the process of being written'. It tells your colleague that you're not done yet, so don't expect the final version.
彼がオフィスを出た時、電話がかけかけだった。
- Hint
- When he left the office, he was halfway through a phone call.
電話がかけかけ (denwa ga kakekake) implies he was 'in the middle of making a call' when he left. This shows the action was interrupted.
§ At school: describing learning and activities
Students and teachers can use ～かけ to talk about homework, projects, or even eating lunch.
宿題はまだやりかけです。
- Hint
- The homework is still halfway done / in progress.
やりかけ (yarikake) means the homework is 'half-done' or 'still being worked on'. It's a common phrase for students to explain the status of their assignments.
彼が教室に入った時、先生は話しかけだった。
- Hint
- When he entered the classroom, the teacher was halfway through speaking / in the middle of talking.
話しかけ (hanashikake) indicates the teacher was 'in the middle of speaking' or 'had just started speaking' when interrupted.
§ In the news and daily life: common sightings
You'll also see ～かけ in news articles or everyday conversations, often describing objects or situations.
テーブルの上に食べかけのパンがあった。
- Hint
- There was a half-eaten bread on the table.
食べかけ (tabekake) literally means 'half-eaten'. This is a very common use for food items.
彼女は、読みかけの本を置いた。
- Hint
- She put down the half-read book.
読みかけ (yomikake) means a 'half-read book'. You'll often see this when someone puts down a book they're still working through.
- Other common uses:
- Verb
- Verb stem + かけ
- Noun
- Noun + かけ
Remember, ～かけ is a powerful little suffix that adds a lot of nuance to your Japanese. Keep an ear out for it, and don't be afraid to try using it yourself!
Exemples par niveau
食べかけのりんご、誰の？
Half-eaten apple, whose is it?
読みかけの本を机に置いた。
I put the half-read book on the desk.
書きかけの手紙を完成させたい。
I want to finish the half-written letter.
作りかけのケーキ、美味しそう！
The half-made cake looks delicious!
彼は言いかけて、やめた。
He started to say something, then stopped.
話し中に割り込んでごめん。
Sorry for interrupting while you were talking.
シャワーを浴びかけている時に電話が鳴った。
The phone rang while I was about to take a shower.
彼は死にかけたが、助かった。
He almost died, but he was saved.
Souvent confondu avec
While 'chuu' also indicates being in the middle of something (e.g., 食事中 - shokujichuu - during a meal), '〜かけ' specifically implies incompletion or being half-done, often with a physical object or a discrete task.
'Hajimeru' means to start doing something. '〜かけ' implies that the action has not only started but is currently in a state of being unfinished, sometimes literally 'halfway' through.
'Tochuu' means 'on the way' or 'in the middle of', and can be very similar to '〜かけ'. However, '〜かけ' often emphasizes the physical object being unfinished, whereas 'tochuu' can refer to a journey or a process more broadly without a tangible 'half-done' state.
Facile à confondre
Often confused with simply 'eating' or 'finished eating'.
Refers specifically to something that has been started but not finished, like a half-eaten apple.
食べかけのりんご (tabekake no ringo) - a half-eaten apple
Can be misunderstood as 'currently reading' without the implication of being unfinished.
Means a book or document that you've started reading but haven't completed yet.
読みかけの本 (yomikake no hon) - an unfinished book (one you're halfway through reading)
May be confused with 'writing' generally, or 'just started writing'.
Indicates something that is in the process of being written but is not yet done.
書きかけの手紙 (kakikake no tegami) - an unfinished letter
Broadly means 'in the middle of doing', which can be vague.
More general term for any task or activity that has been started but is not yet finished.
やりかけの仕事 (yarikake no shigoto) - unfinished work
Sounds like 'talking', but it's more specific.
Means in the middle of talking to someone, or about to talk to someone.
彼に話しかけた (kare ni hanashikaketa) - I started to talk to him (but might have been interrupted or didn't finish)
Teste-toi 42 questions
What is this item being described as?
What was he doing before falling asleep?
What kind of juice was put back in the fridge?
Read this aloud:
これは食べかけのりんごです。
Focus: たべかけ (tabekake)
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
彼女は宿題をやりかけです。
Focus: やりかけ (yarikake)
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
書きかけの手紙があります。
Focus: かきかけ (kakikake)
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
食べ___ケーキがテーブルに置いてあります。
「〜かけの」は「〜している途中の」という意味を表します。
読み___本を閉じて、外に出かけました。
「〜かけの」は「〜している途中の」という意味を表します。
宿題をやり___、寝てしまいました。
「〜かけで」は「〜している途中で」という意味を表します。
作り___料理をそのままにして、電話に出ました。
「〜かけの」は「〜している途中の」という意味を表します。
書き___手紙を忘れて、家を出ました。
「〜かけの」は「〜している途中の」という意味を表します。
飲み___コーヒーが冷めてしまいました。
「〜かけの」は「〜している途中の」という意味を表します。
You started reading a book but got interrupted. Describe the situation using '〜かけ'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私は本を読みかけで、友達に電話がかかってきました。(I was halfway through reading a book when my friend called.)
You are making dinner but haven't finished cooking. Describe this using '〜かけ'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
晩ご飯を作りかけですが、少し休憩します。(I'm halfway through making dinner, but I'll take a short break.)
Someone left a half-eaten apple on the table. Describe this object using '〜かけ'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
テーブルに食べかけのリンゴがあります。(There's a half-eaten apple on the table.)
Bが何をしていたとAは理解しましたか？ (What did A understand B was doing?)
Read this passage:
A: このケーキ、誰が食べたの？ (Who ate this cake?) B: ああ、ごめん。ちょっとだけ食べかけだったよ。 (Oh, sorry. I was just halfway through eating it.) A: そうだったんだね。 (I see.)
Bが何をしていたとAは理解しましたか？ (What did A understand B was doing?)
会話から、Bはケーキを食べかけだったことがわかります。 (From the conversation, it's clear B was halfway through eating the cake.)
会話から、Bはケーキを食べかけだったことがわかります。 (From the conversation, it's clear B was halfway through eating the cake.)
パンはどのような状態でしたか？ (What was the state of the bread?)
Read this passage:
私は朝、パンを焼き始めましたが、電話が鳴ったので、焼きかけでオーブンから出しました。 (This morning, I started baking bread, but the phone rang, so I took it out of the oven halfway through baking.) 電話の後、またオーブンに入れました。(After the call, I put it back in the oven.)
パンはどのような状態でしたか？ (What was the state of the bread?)
「焼きかけでオーブンから出しました」という記述から、パンは焼きかけの状態だったことがわかります。(From the description 'took it out of the oven halfway through baking,' it's clear the bread was halfway baked.)
「焼きかけでオーブンから出しました」という記述から、パンは焼きかけの状態だったことがわかります。(From the description 'took it out of the oven halfway through baking,' it's clear the bread was halfway baked.)
山田さんの絵は今どのような状態ですか？ (What is the current state of Yamada-san's painting?)
Read this passage:
山田さんは新しい絵を描いています。しかし、まだ完成していません。絵は描きかけです。(Yamada-san is drawing a new picture. However, it's not finished yet. The picture is half-drawn.) 彼は毎日少しずつ描いています。(He draws a little bit every day.)
山田さんの絵は今どのような状態ですか？ (What is the current state of Yamada-san's painting?)
「絵は描きかけです」という文から、絵はまだ完成していない途中段階であることがわかります。(From the sentence 'The picture is half-drawn,' it's clear the painting is in an unfinished, halfway state.)
「絵は描きかけです」という文から、絵はまだ完成していない途中段階であることがわかります。(From the sentence 'The picture is half-drawn,' it's clear the painting is in an unfinished, halfway state.)
This sentence means 'This cake is half-eaten.' 食べかけ (tabekake) indicates something is in the middle of being eaten.
This sentence means 'He fell asleep while half-reading a book.' 読みかけ (yomikake) indicates an action that was started but not finished.
This sentence means 'I went to play with my homework half-done.' やりかけ (yarikake) implies an incomplete task.
You started reading a really interesting manga on the train, but you had to get off before finishing. Describe the situation using '〜かけ'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
電車の中で面白い漫画を読みかけましたが、駅に着いたので降りました。
You were in the middle of eating your dinner when your friend called. You left your food to answer the phone. Describe this, using '〜かけ'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
友達から電話がかかってきたので、夕食を食べかけで出ました。
You were trying to write an email but got distracted. Describe that you have an unfinished email.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
書きかけのメールがあるので、後で送ります。
彼が電話に出たとき、どんな状況でしたか？
Read this passage:
彼はお風呂に入りかけの時、電話がかかってきた。彼は急いで電話に出たが、もう切れてしまっていた。彼は残念そうにため息をついた。
彼が電話に出たとき、どんな状況でしたか？
文章の「もう切れてしまっていた」という部分から、彼が電話に出た時にはすでに電話が切れていたことが分かります。
文章の「もう切れてしまっていた」という部分から、彼が電話に出た時にはすでに電話が切れていたことが分かります。
なぜ妹はケーキから離れたのですか？
Read this passage:
テーブルの上に食べかけのケーキがあった。妹が一口食べたところで、お母さんに「まだ夕食前よ！」と叱られたのだ。妹はがっかりした顔でケーキから離れた。
なぜ妹はケーキから離れたのですか？
文章の「お母さんに「まだ夕食前よ！」と叱られたのだ」という部分から、妹が母親に叱られてケーキから離れたことが分かります。
文章の「お母さんに「まだ夕食前よ！」と叱られたのだ」という部分から、妹が母親に叱られてケーキから離れたことが分かります。
筆者は何を探していますか？
Read this passage:
私は新しい本を読みかけで置いていた。しかし、どこに置いたか忘れてしまった。部屋中を探したが、見つからない。困ったな。
筆者は何を探していますか？
文章の「新しい本を読みかけで置いていた。しかし、どこに置いたか忘れてしまった。」という部分から、筆者が読みかけの本を探していることが分かります。
文章の「新しい本を読みかけで置いていた。しかし、どこに置いたか忘れてしまった。」という部分から、筆者が読みかけの本を探していることが分かります。
The particles and verb endings help connect the phrases correctly. '食べかけのリンゴ' means 'half-eaten apple'.
'読みかけの本' means 'half-read book'. The sentence describes the action of placing the book.
'作りかけの料理' means 'half-finished cooking'. The sentence indicates the presence of this food in the refrigerator.
Listen for 'tabekake no ringo ga'.
Listen for 'yomikake no hon o densha ni wasuremashita'.
Listen for 'kakikake no tegami o kare ni miraremashita'.
Read this aloud:
飲みかけのコーヒーを冷ましてしまった。
Focus: のみかけ (nomikake)
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
作りかけの料理が焦げちゃった。
Focus: つくりかけ (tsukurikake)
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
言いかけの言葉を飲み込んだ。
Focus: いいかけ (iikake)
Tu as dit :
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/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Use ～かけ to express that an action or process is unfinished or only partly done.
- halfway done
- partially completed
- in the middle of
Contenu associé
Plus de mots sur food
少々
B1A little; a few.
〜ほど
B1About; approximately; degree.
~ほど
B1About, approximately; to the extent of ~.
豊富な
B1Abundant, rich in.
ふんだんに
B1Lavishly; abundantly; generously (e.g., using ingredients).
足す
B1To add (e.g., to a sum, to ingredients).
添加物
B1Additive.
〜てから
B1After doing ~.
~てから
B1After doing (an action).
熟成させる
B1To age; to mature (food).
