通り掛かり

Japanese

Kanji in this term
通	掛
とお Grade: 2	か > が Grade: S
kun'yomi

Alternative forms

通りがかり (frequently spelled)
通り掛り (sometimes spelled)

Etymology

From 通り(とおり, tōri)(通る, とおる, tōru) + 掛かり(かかり, kakari)(掛かる, かかる, kakaru)(in the action)

Noun

通(とお)り掛(が)かり • (tōrigakari)

passing; going by.

Usage notes

Even though it is a noun, 通り掛かり is almost always used to modify other nouns, using the particle -の. For example, a passer-by would be 通り掛りの人 and a passing car would be 通り掛りの車.