仕し掛かける

し

か

け

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

ichidan verb, transitive verb

start; begin; commence

Used for starting an action, process, or activity, often with a sense of initiating something deliberately.

彼かれは新あたらしいプロジェクトを仕し掛かけた。
He started a new project.
食しょく事じを仕し掛

か

け

た

ところ

で

電でん

話わ

が

鳴な

っ

た

。

Just as I was about to start eating, the phone rang.

ichidan verb, transitive verb

challenge; pick a fight; provoke

Used for initiating a confrontation, argument, or conflict; often with 喧嘩, 戦争, or 論争.

彼かれはよく同どう僚りょうに議ぎ論ろんを仕し掛かける。
He often picks arguments with his colleagues.
敵てきが戦せん争そうを仕し掛かけてきた。
The enemy started a war against us.

ichidan verb, transitive verb

set a trap; plant explosives; lay mines

Used for setting up traps, explosives, or mines; implies a deliberate, often hidden, preparation.

猟りょう師しは森もりに罠わなを仕し掛かけた。
The hunter set traps in the forest.
テロリストが道どう路ろに爆ばく弾だんを仕し掛かけた。
Terrorists planted a bomb on the road.

ichidan verb, transitive verb

make a meld call (mahjong)

mahjong

Mahjong term: to declare a meld by calling a discarded tile.

Written forms

仕し掛かけるUsage70%
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and general writing.
しかけるUsage29%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended nuance is broad.
仕しかけるUsage1%
search-only kanji form

Kanji

仕attend, doing, official
掛hang, suspend, depend

Similar words

始はじめる
始める is the general verb for starting something; 仕掛ける implies a more deliberate or strategic initiation, often with a confrontational or preparatory nuance.
挑いどむ
挑む means to challenge or take on a difficult task; 仕掛ける focuses on the act of initiating the challenge or provocation.

Etymology

Compound of 仕 (し, continuative form of する 'to do') + 掛ける (かける 'to hang, set up'). The combination yields a sense of 'setting something into motion' or 'initiating an action'.