The Meaning of toori kakaru [通りかかる] In Japanese

通りかかる
とおりかかる
Romaji: toori kakaru N4

What does 通りかかる mean?

Translation and Meaning

to pass by, to come across

Definition

通りかかる means to come across something or someone by chance as you are passing by. It denotes an incidental encounter that happens along your route, rather than something planned or intentional.

Type

verb (godan)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to happen to pass by and encounter someone or something
  • to notice or come across by chance while moving along a route
  • used in narrative contexts to describe casual or incidental encounters

Etymology

通 plus り create the noun for street or way, while かかる contributes the sense of occurrence along the way; together they form the idiomatic verb meaning to happen to pass by. The pronunciation shows a natural phonetic progression from the component parts to a single verb form.

Composition

  • 通 meaning pass through or go along; り forms the noun 通り meaning street or route
  • かかる meaning to occur or to hang onto; when attached to 通り it yields the sense of incidental occurrence along the route

Usage

Used across casual to neutral conversation and in narration, describing a chance encounter while walking or moving; the form is typically informal or conversational and not suited for highly formal writing.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine walking down a street and your eye gets caught by a shop window; the ka in kakaru evokes catching something by chance, helping you remember that 通りかかる means to come across by chance as you pass.

Variations

  • ふと出くわす (futo dekuwasu) — to encounter by chance
  • 偶然出会う (guuzen deau) — to meet by chance
  • 見かける (mikeru) — to catch sight of; related nuance though not exact meaning

Example Phrases

  • 道端を 散歩していたら 友達に 偶然 通りかかる。
    みちばたを さんぽしていたら ともだちに ぐうぜん とおりかかる。
    While strolling along the roadside, I happened to run into a friend.
    Lista:
    • 道端を (みちばたを) – by the roadside
    • 散歩していたら (さんぽしていたら) – while taking a walk
    • 友達に (ともだちに) – to a friend
    • 偶然 (ぐうぜん) – by chance
    • 通りかかる。 (とおりかかる。) – run into
    In this sentence, 「通りかかる」 means to happen to come across someone while passing by; the subject is the speaker, and に marks the person encountered.
通りかかる