Japanese with Manga

Nearly drained of blood with 死にかける

Vocabulary Explanation: Words ending in 掛ける

Kenji sits cross-legged on a wooden floor, sweating and scowling as he scolds Kyoko. Kyoko, her big ribbon tied again, sits in the foreground with her back to the viewer.
ふだつきのキョーコちゃん » Volume 1 » Page 34

Kenji’s younger sister Kyoko is a jiangshi who must drink blood regularly, and her big ribbon serves as the talisman that keeps her instincts in check. When it came loose, she pinned Kenji down and drank his blood. Kenji managed to tie the ribbon back on, and Kyoko returned to normal.

ケンジ:
「気(き)をつけろって言(い)ったろ？　死(し)にかけたわ！」
“Didn't I tell you to be careful? I almost died!”

Key Points

1死(し)にかける, nearly dying
  • 死(し)ぬ means to die. With かける attached to its stem, 死(し)にかける means to get partway to dying: to nearly die.
  • People often use it as an exaggeration, but Kenji has just lost a lot of blood, so he may mean it.
2〜って言(い)ったろ, reminding someone
  • 気(き)をつけろ is the blunt imperative of 気(き)をつける, “be careful”. って quotes it.
  • 言(い)ったろ is short for 言(い)っただろう. 〜って言(い)ったろ？ means “Didn’t I tell you to…?” and reminds Kyoko of an earlier warning.
3Sentence-final わ for emphasis
  • わ in 死(し)にかけたわ！ adds force to a complaint or exclamation. When a male speaker uses it like this, it sounds blunt, not soft.

Vocabulary

(To be careful)

気(き)をつける is to be careful, pay attention, or watch out. 気(き)をつけて is a common way to say “be careful” or “take care”.

(To say)

言(い)う means to say or tell. It can also mean to call something by a particular name.

(To nearly die)

死(し)にかける is to come close to dying. It is often used as an exaggeration for a frightening or exhausting experience.

See Also

ふだつきのキョーコちゃん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.