せっかく (sekkaku)
せっかく — “with great effort / a rare chance”
Pattern
-
せっかく＋動詞（た形）＋のに／がhaving gone to the trouble ～, but (regret) -
せっかくの＋名詞／せっかくだからa precious ～ / since it’s a rare chance
Effort that was wasted
せっかく遠くまで行ったのに、店が閉まっていた: I made the long trip, yet the shop was closed. The sentence usually contains のに, が or けど, and the result goes against what the speaker hoped.
A precious chance
せっかくの休み means a day off that doesn’t come often, so “let’s use it well.” せっかくだから is the fixed phrase “since we’re here / since it’s a good chance.”
Used for invitations
When someone refuses your offer, you say せっかくですが… (“thanks, but…”) as a polite refusal. Used to show appreciation for the other person’s effort.
Examples
-
せっかく 遠（とお）くまで 行（い）ったのに、店（みせ）が 閉（し）まっていた。
Sekkaku tooku made itta noni, mise ga shimatte ita.
Even though I went all the way there, the shop was closed.
-
せっかく作（つく）った料理（りょうり）を、だれも食（た）べてくれなかった。
Sekkaku tsukutta ryouri o, dare mo tabete kurenakatta.
No one ate the meal I had gone to the trouble of making.
-
せっかくの休（やす）みだから、ゆっくり体（からだ）を休（やす）めよう。
Sekkaku no yasumi dakara, yukkuri karada o yasumeyou.
Since it’s a precious day off, let’s rest properly.
Common mistakes
- Not for something that took no effort and is not rare. It needs a sense of effort or value.
- Before a noun use せっかくの, not せっかくな.
More grammar points
- ばよかった ～ばよかった — I should have ～, if only I had ～
- ばかりで ～ばかりで — only ～ (and nothing else, with a negative feeling)
- ばかりでなく ～ばかりでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけでなく ～だけでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけど だけど — but, however (casual)
- ふりをする ～ふりをする — pretending to ～
- 一方（いっぽう）だ ～一方だ — keeps ～ing in one direction
- 一体（いったい） 一体 — what on earth ～ (emphasizing a question)
- じゃない ～じゃない — isn't it ～! (surprise or confirmation)
- か何（なに）か ～か何か — ～ or something
- 代（か）わりに ～代わりに — instead of ～, in return for ～
- 結局（けっきょく） 結局 — in the end, after all
- きり ～きり — only ～; ever since ～
- っけ ～っけ — was it ～? (recalling)
- ことになっている ～ことになっている — it is the rule or plan that ～
- ことは～が ～ことは～が — it is true that ～, but ～
- くせに ～くせに — even though ～ (with reproach)
- も～ば～も A も ～ば B も ～ — both A and B
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