Japanese with Manga

Too many traps with 仕掛ける

Vocabulary Explanation: Words ending in 掛ける

In the woods, Benisumomo, a girl with long light hair, points at Mizubashou, who wears glasses and a braid and stands with her hands clasped. Touwata, a small girl with a scroll on her back, watches from the side.
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Touwata gets caught in yet another of Mizubashou’s traps and complains that she sets too many. Mizubashou says making traps calms her down. Benisumomo scolds Touwata for not paying attention, but steps into a trap herself in the middle of her lecture. Afterward, she points at Mizubashou and declares traps banned.

ベニスモモ:
「罠(わな)仕掛(しか)けすぎなのよ！」
“You set way too many traps!”
「隠(かく)すのうまいし！」
“And you're good at hiding them!”
トウワタ:
「自分(じぶん)がかかったからって。」
“Just because she got caught herself.”

Key Points

1罠(わな)を仕掛(しか)ける, setting a trap
  • 仕掛(しか)ける means to set something up, like a trap or a hidden device. It is a fixed compound, so learn it as its own word.
  • Benisumomo drops を in casual speech: 罠(わな)仕掛(しか)けすぎ comes from 罠(わな)を仕掛(しか)けすぎる.
2〜すぎ, too much
  • Attaching すぎ to the stem 仕掛(しか)け gives “setting too many”. The noun form 仕掛(しか)けすぎ takes な before のよ.
  • なのよ explains a situation with feeling. It is common in feminine speech.
3隠(かく)すのうまいし, adding a reason
  • の turns 隠(かく)す, to hide, into “hiding”. 隠(かく)すのがうまい means “good at hiding”, with が dropped.
  • し adds one more reason to her complaint.
4〜からって, “just because”
  • からって is a casual form of からといって, “just because”. Touwata’s thought trails off, leaving out something like “she doesn’t need to ban them”.

Vocabulary

(Trap)

罠(わな) is a trap for catching animals or people. It is also used for a trick meant to catch someone out. 罠(わな)を仕掛(しか)ける means to set a trap.

(To set up)

仕掛(しか)ける is to set something up in advance, such as a trap or a hidden device. It can also mean to start something against someone, such as a fight or a tease.

(Too much)

すぎる follows a verb stem or adjective to mean “too much” or “overly”. On its own, it means to pass by or for time to pass. It is also written 過(す)ぎる.

(To hide)

隠(かく)す means to put something where others can’t see or find it, or to keep a fact or feeling secret.

(Good)

うまい describes something done with skill, or food that tastes good. For taste, it is more casual than おいしい.

(Oneself)

自分(じぶん) is oneself. It refers back to the person doing the action, and some speakers use it to mean “I”.

(To take)

かかる is to require time, money, or effort. It also means to hang on something, or to be caught or covered by something. It is also written 掛(か)かる.

See Also

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