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Grammar detail: きっかけ

きっかけ
opportunity, motivation
216 words
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きっかけ is a noun meaning 'opportunity'. It can be used in a couple of ways to indicate that something served as the opportunity or starting point for something else.
noun phrase X
をきっかけに
+
phrase Y
means
using X as a starting point / opportunity, Y happened
たいし
大使
の
ていあん
提案
をきっかけに、
たいしかん
大使館
ぜんたい
全体
でSNSを
つか
使
う
ようになった。
Using the ambassador's plan as an opportunity, the entire embassy moved towards using SNS.
かのじょ
彼女
の
ていあん
提案
をきっかけに
かちく
家畜
の
かんり
管理
ほうほう
方法
を
すこ
少
し
ずつ
か
変
えていた
。
Her suggestion prompted him to gradually change the way he managed the cattle.
せんたくき
洗濯機
を
か
買
い
か
替
える
じき
時期
になったことをきっかけに
ほ
欲
しい
せんたくき
洗濯機
のリストを
ようい
用意
した。
The time had come to purchase a new washing machine, so she took the opportunity to draw up a list of washing machines she wanted.
〜がきっかけで is interchangeable with 〜をきっかけに.
かいがい
海外
りょこう
旅行
がきっかけで、
せかいいっしゅう
世界一周
に
きょうみ
興味
を
も
持
った
。
After a trip abroad, he became interested in doing a round-the-world tour.
phrase Y
きっかけは
+
phrase X
is a slightly different usage which presents the effect before the cause, but essentially means the same thing:
using X as a starting point / opportunity, Y happened
たいしかん
大使館
ぜんたい
全体
でSNSを
つか
使
う
ようになったきっかけは、
たいし
大使
の
ていあん
提案
だ。
The opportunity that led to the entire embassy starting to use SNS was the ambassador's plan.
In this usage, きっかけ would typically be written with kana. Used as a noun, however, it may be seen in kanji as 切っ掛け or 切掛. The etymology of きっかけ is very interesting: it's a
ごうせいご
合成語
compound word combining
き
切
る and
か
掛
ける. 切る literally means 'cut' (eg with a knife), but it can also be used to express finishing something, or doing it decisively and thoroughly (think 'cut through') - for example, 食べ切る means 'finish eating' in the sense of 'eating everything up'. 掛ける has many meanings, but is very commonly used as a suffix to mean 'start doing' something - for example, 食べ掛ける means 'start eating'. So an opportunity is literally the 'beginning and ending' of something!
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Kanji used in this grammar

切
セツ   サイ   きる to cut   きれる to break, to snap   
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掛
hanging   かかる to be hanging, to cost, to take   かける to hang up, to spend, to multiply   -がかり person in charge   
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合
ゴウ   ガッ   カッ   あう to fit, come together   あわす to match   あわせる to unite, join   
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成
セイ   ジョウ   なる to become   なす to perform, to accomplish   
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語
ゴ   かたる to talk, relate   かたらう to talk together, chat   
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食
ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   くう to eat   
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大
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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使
シ   つかう to use   
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提
テイ    submit   さげる propose, take along, carry in hand   
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案
アン    plan   
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館
カン    building   やかた castle, mansion   
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全
ゼン   まったく entirely   すべて everything   
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体
タイ   テイ   からだ body   
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彼
ヒ   かれ he   
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女
ジョ   ニョ   ニョウ   woman; female   おんな woman   め woman   
家
カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
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畜
チク    animal raising   
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管
カン   くだ pipe, tube   
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理
リ    logic   
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方
ホウ   かた way, direction   
法
ホウ   ハッ   ホッ    method   
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少
ショウ   すこし a little   すくない few   
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変
ヘン   unusual   かえる to alter, change   かわる to change   
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洗
セン   あらう to wash   
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濯
タク    laundry   
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機
キ    machine   はた loom   
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買
バイ   かう to buy   
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替
タイ   かえる to replace   かわる to be replaced   
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時
ジ   とき time, occasion   
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期
キ   ゴ    period of time   
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欲
ヨク   ほしい want   ほっする to want   
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用
ヨウ   もちいる to use   
意
イ    idea   
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海
カイ   うみ ocean   
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外
ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はずす to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
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旅
リョ   たび trip   
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行
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆく    いく to go   おこなう to take place   
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世
セ   セイ   よ the world   
界
カイ    world   
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一
イチ   イツ   ひとつ    ひと- one   
周
シュウ   まわり circumference   
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興
コウ   キョウ    entertainment, interest   おこる to flourish   おこす to establish   
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味
ミ   あじ taste   あじわう to taste   
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持
ジ   もつ to hold, to have   
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