Start To (始動): ～始める, ～出す, & ～かける
In this lesson, we will learn about the verb endings ～始める, ～出す, and ～かける, which indicate the start of something when used as the secondary verb in a compound verb. Compound verbs (複合動詞) are created in Japanese by the continuative form (連用形) of the main verb (V1) being followed by a secondary verb (V2) which serves a predictable function for the main verb. In Japanese, the main verb is referred to as 前項動詞 and the secondary verb is referred to as 後項動詞1.
～始める
As a standalone verb, the Ichidan verb 始める is a transitive verb meaning “to begin/start.” It can mean this in the sense of starting some sort of action or in the sense of starting a business.
1. この仕事を始めたきっかけは何だったんですか。
What was your motive for starting this job?
2. 若者向けの喫茶店を始めました。
I started a coffee shop intended for young people.
When used in compound verbs, ～始める indicates that the agent of the sentence is starting said action of the main verb – that being a verb of volition regardless of transitivity – or it indicates that a state described by the main verb has begun – that being an intransitive verb of non-volition. Before seeing examples of both environments, let’s go over how to attach ～始める to the main verb.
| V1 Verb Class | Example Verb | 連用形 | ＋～始める |
| 一段 | 食べる to eat | 食べ | 食べ始める to start to eat/ to start eating |
| 五段 | 書く to write | 書き | 書き始める to start to write/ to start writing |
| サ変 | する to do | し | しはじめる to start to do/ to start doing |
| カ変 | 来（く）る to come | 来（き） | 来始める to start coming |
Whether the main verb is transitive or not, the original transitivity of V2 is irrelevant, which means 始まる (the intransitive form of 始まる) is never used in this capacity2. This favoring of the transitivity of V1 holding true for the compound verb as a whole also holds true for the other V2 endings featured in this lesson.
As for the slight difference in English between “to start to + infinitive” and “to start to + -ing,” this is borne out in context in Japanese, with occasional semantic restraints in Japanese preventing one or the other from being possible, as is eluded to by 来始める not meaning “to start to come.”
3. 今日、レポートを書き始めました。
I started writing the report today.
4. 宿題を（し）始めた。
I started doing my homework.
5. 日本語を勉強し始めたのは、6年前です。
It was six years ago since I started studying Japanese.
6. 疲れを感じ始めた。
I’ve begun to feel fatigue.
7. 来学期から日本語を勉強し始める。
I’ll start studying Japanese from next semester.
8. 雪は冷たい霙（みぞれ）に変わり始めた。
The snow started to turn into icy sleet.
9. 手が悴み始めました。
My hands began to feel numb.
～出す
Firstly, let’s first investigate what the transitive verb 出す means as an independent verb. Of its core meanings, there is a common notion of taking an object and moving it outward and/or to the forefront. It is generally translated as meaning the following: “to take/get out,” “to put out/submit,” “to make public,” “to send (a letter, etc.), “to produce,” “to serve (food),” etc.
10. 住民はゴミを出しに集まってきました。
The residents have gathered taking out their trash.
11. カメムシは強い臭いを出した。
The stink bug gave off a strong smell.
12. 毎回の授業後にレポートを出します。
I submit a report after every class.
13. あの店員さんがお客さんに飲み物を出しています。
That employee is serving drinks to the customers.
14. サンタさんに手紙を出しました。
I sent a letter to Santa.
～出す is like ～始める in that they both describe the start of an action, circumstance, or change, but they are slightly different.
～始める is used generally in regards to the starting of an event, and it is used with verbs of volition, actions in which people have control of, in this sense. In the case that it shows a circumstance or change beginning, it is used with non-volitional/intransitive verbs. Even still, it generally states the beginning of something.
～出す attaches to verbs of volition/non-volition as well. Thus, although the main verb is transitive, the transitivity of the compound verb expression is decided by the verb that it attaches to. As for ～出す, it describes the sudden start of an action or circumstance. In this sense, it is far more emotionally emphatic.
To be clear on how this is attached to verbs, consider the following chart.
| 動く (To move) | + 出す → | 動き出す | 叫ぶ (To shout) | + 出す → | 叫び出す |
| 歩く (To walk) | + 出す → | 歩き出す | 飛ぶ (To fly) | + 出す → | 飛び出す |
15. 由美子ちゃんが泣き出した。
Yumiko broke into tears.
16. 彼女は笑い出した。
She started to laugh (big time).
17. 走り出した。
He began to dash.
18. 太陽が顔を出した。
The sun showed its face.
19. 雨が降り出した。
It began to rain (a lot).
Note: 見出す ＝ みいだす (to find; pick out)
20. 面白い映画を見て、吹き出した。
Watching a funny movie, I burst out laughing.
21. 政府の姿勢に不満が噴き出した。
I was flushed with dissatisfaction at the government’s stance.
Word Note: ふきだす is a word with two spellings and several meanings. It can show something spouting out with much force, which can be applied in a physical sense or in a more abstract sense like in Ex. 21. In Ex. 22, it has a meaning of “sprout out”. Just as in Ex. 20, it may be like 笑い出す. The verb is also sometimes used in a transitive sense.
22. 新芽が吹き出した。
The bud sprouted (out).
23. 桜島はいつも真っ白な火山灰を噴き出しますね。
Mt. Sakurajima always spouts out white volcanic ash.
Geography Note: 桜島 is an island next to 鹿児島, which is a major city on the southern tip of 九州, the southernmost major Japanese island. This island has an active volcano, 活火山 (also read more correctly asかつかざん), which is formally called 桜島御岳.
御 is an honorific prefix, and although it is usually read as お in this context, it is actually read with the older reading おん here. 岳 is an alternative character for certain mountains/volcanos as opposed to the more frequent山. However, this active volcano is usually called 桜島, despite being the name of the island. If the ash was to finally stop and the volcano became dormant, it would be called as 休火山.
漢字 Note: Do not read 火山 as かさん. The change from さん to ざん is not because of sequential voicing. Instead, ざん is a later 音 reading that entered Japanese from Chinese. You see this reading in similar words like 氷山 (iceberg).
However, 灰 does get voiced due to sequential voicing, which is called 連濁. はい is not Chinese. The Chinese reading is かい. This reading is used in words like 灰白色 (grayish white).
Prefix Note: 真っ白 is “pure/snow-white”. When you attach 真っ to other colors, be careful of sound changes! 真っ青 ＝ まっさお; 真赤 ＝ まっか; 真っ黒 ＝ まっくろ. Note that 真っ白い is possible for many speakers, but it is not 100% proper Japanese.
24. 葡萄の木が芽を吹き出す。
25. ぶどうの芽が吹き出す。
The grape tree’s shoots will sprout.
Transitivity Note: This pair of sentences shows flexibility in transitivity. However, it is important to note that the latter is more frequently used as it is shorter. This does not, though, make the former incorrect.
漢字 Notes:
1. Many things have 漢字. Although ぶどう is typically not written as 葡萄, it’s important for you to get the feel of what does have a 漢字 spelling, even if it’s not provided to you.
2. 噴き出す may not be used in the plant sense of “to sprout”. 噴, pronounced as ふん in compounds, has the meaning of “erupt”. Thus, 火山の噴火 means “volcano eruption”.
Another peculiar difference is that ～始める but not ～出す may be used with phrases like ～てください (please…). Even with, ～てもいい (all right to…), ～出す is often unnatural.
26. 食べ始めてください。〇
食べ出してください。X
Please start to eat.
27. 食べ出してもいいですか。△
食べ始めてもいいですか。〇
Is it alright if I start eating?
～かける
～かける also marks the starting of an action or circumstance. The exact nuances that it could have are all over the place to the point that it’s best to take each case individually and find out what it means. This may sound like a very difficult task to do, but there are a few commonalities across the combinations that you can use to understand this ending better. 1. you already know that it can deal with something starting. Thus, it may show something being on the verge of whatever. 2. this “on the verge” meaning is very similar to doing something midway/halfway. As a nominal phrase in the form of ～かけ in describing things half-done.
In the example sentences below, Examples 28~30 should be straight-forward. The last two involve more thinking, and the latter example will require some more information about the verb かける itself to make sense.
28. 何かを言いかける。
To be on the verge of starting to say something.
29. 彼女は二度と死にかけた。
She almost died twice.
30. 夜が明けかけている。
The day is breaking.
31. 見知らぬ人に話しかけてはいけない。
Don’t talk to strangers!
32. 彼の顔に煙をぷっと吹きかける。
To puff smoke into his face.
Sentence Note: 話しかける refers to the point in time when one tries to start a conversation. So, you’re still on the verge of something. 吹きかける requires that you understand かける may also mean “to cover/put over”. Even so, the verb is still somewhat figurative because 煙を吹く also exists with the meaning “to blow smoke”, but this wouldn’t be used in the context of Ex. 32.
～かかる
～かかる may also be used to mean “to begin,” but it implied that one is on the verge of an end result. It may also be used to show that an action is being directed elsewhere. Either way, because this ending is not that productive, you will have to study how to use it on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, you will also have to learn the transitivity of the resultant verb.
34. 死にかかる魚って見たことがあまりない。
I have seldom seen fish at the point of death.
35. 心痛が重く伸しかかった。
Worries weighed heavily on her.
36. 何時から仕事に取りかかりますか。
When do you start work?
37. 旅行の準備をしかかる。
To begin preparations for the trip.
- Functionally, these ‘secondary verb’ endings are very similar to supplementary verbs like いる in ている (progressive tense marker), and they are often referred to as “functional supplementary verbs” (機能上の補助動詞), but unlike true supplementary verbs, the particle て never intervenes, and the original sense of the secondary verb is generally either in tact or can be easily deduced. ↩︎
- The V2 endings in this lesson which all indicate start (始動) constitute a semantic category of “syntactical compound verbs” (統語的複合動詞) in which the transitivity of V2 does not hold any value over V1, but the transitivity of V2 is heavily stilted to whatever is deemed the inherent transitivity of the semantic concept of the group. Which is to say, “starting” is first attributed to ‘transitive scenarios’ in the mind, but because the subsequent ‘functionally supplementary’ iteration of the verbs in question default to their transitive forms regardless of the transitivity of V1, this is a circular consequence of no longer 100% retaining how their independent iterations function. ↩︎