仕し掛かかる

し

か

る

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

start doing; begin to do

Focuses on the act of beginning a task or action. Often used when the action is underway but not yet completed.

彼かれは夕ゆう食しょくを作つくり仕し掛かかったが、材ざい料りょうが足たりないことに気きづいた。
He started making dinner but realized he didn't have enough ingredients.

2

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

be in the middle of doing; have started but not finished

Emphasizes the ongoing, incomplete state of an action. Often used with verbs in the 〜かけ form or with 〜ている to describe something left unfinished.

読よみ仕し掛かかった本ほんが机つくえの上うえに置おいてある。
The book I started reading (but haven't finished) is on the desk.
掃そう除じを仕し掛かかったまま、友とも達だちが来きてしまった。
I was in the middle of cleaning when my friend showed up.

Written forms

仕し掛かかるUsage61%
Standard kanji spelling.
しかかるUsage39%
仕し掛かかる
Abbreviated kanji form; less common but still seen.
仕し懸かかる
Alternate kanji using 懸; rare and somewhat old-fashioned.
仕し懸かかる
Abbreviated form of 仕懸かる; very rare.

Kanji

仕attend, doing, official
掛hang, suspend, depend
懸state of suspension, hang, depend

Similar words

し始はじめる
し始める simply means 'to start doing' and does not carry the nuance of being unfinished. 仕掛かる often implies the action is left incomplete or is still in progress.
しかける
しかける can also mean 'to start' or 'to be in the middle of', but it is more common in compound verbs (e.g., 食べかける). 仕掛かる is a standalone verb with a similar meaning but is less common and slightly more formal.

Etymology

Compound of 仕 (prefix adding a sense of doing something) and 掛かる (to begin, to be about to). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys starting an action with an implication of incompleteness.