Components

Grammar detail: きっかけ

きっかけ  opportunity, motivation
216 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
Grammar games:
GRAMMAR MATCH
SENTENCE BUILDER
BOOST
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
ていあん
提案
きっかけに
たいしかん
大使館
ぜんたい
全体
SNS
つか
使
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
ていあん
提案
きっかけ
かちく
家畜
かんり
管理
ほうほう
方法
すこ
ずつ
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
える
じき
時期
になったこときっかけ
しい
せんたくき
洗濯機
リスト
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
きっかけ
せかいいっしゅう
世界一周
きょうみ
興味
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
SNS
つか
使
ようになったきっかけ
たいし
大使
ていあん
提案

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
る and
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!
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Kanji used in this grammar

セツ   サイ   き to cut   きれる to break, to snap   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
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   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴウ   ガッ   カッ   あ to fit, come together   あわす to match   あわせる to unite, join   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セイ   ジョウ   な to become   な to perform, to accomplish   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴ   かた to talk, relate   かたらう to talk together, chat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   く to eat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
使
シ   つか to use   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
テイ    submit   さげる propose, take along, carry in hand   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
アン    plan   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カン    building   やかた castle, mansion   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゼン   まった entirely   すべ everything   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タイ   テイ   からだ body   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒ   かれ he   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジョ   ニョ   ニョウ   woman; female   おんな woman   め woman   
カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
チク    animal raising   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カン   くだ pipe, tube   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
リ    logic   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ホウ   かた way, direction   
ホウ   ハッ   ホッ    method   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショウ   すこ a little   すくない few   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヘン   unusual   かえる to alter, change   かわる to change   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セン   あら to wash   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タク    laundry   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
キ    machine   はた loom   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
バイ   か to buy   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タイ   かえる to replace   かわる to be replaced   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジ   とき time, occasion   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
キ   ゴ    period of time   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヨク   ほしい want   ほっする to want   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヨウ   もちいる to use   
イ    idea   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カイ   うみ ocean   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はず to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
リョ   たび trip   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セ   セイ   よ the world   
カイ    world   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
イチ   イツ   ひと    ひと- one   
シュウ   まわ circumference   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コウ   キョウ    entertainment, interest   おこ to flourish   おこ to establish   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ミ   あじ taste   あじわう to taste   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジ   も to hold, to have   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×