折角
With trouble, At great pains, Take the trouble, Might as well..., Rare/long-awaited occasion
Structure
せっかく + の + Noun (of Event)
Explanation
折角 is a special adverb used to convey that an action was performed 'with considerable effort', 'by going out of one's way', or that an opportunity is 'special and much-anticipated'. As it often affects the nuance of the entire clause, it is frequently placed at the very beginning. When 折角 highlights a noun as a special occasion, it will be positioned right before that noun and connected using the case marking particle の.
- せっかく晩ご飯を作ったのに、もう食べたの？信じられない。I went to all the trouble of making dinner, and you've already eaten? I can't believe it.
- せっかく部屋を掃除したのに、弟がすぐに汚してしまった。I went to the effort of cleaning my room, but my little brother made it messy right away.
- せっかくの週末をめちゃくちゃにしてしまって、本当に申し訳ありません。I am truly sorry for completely ruining our special weekend.
- 電車の遅延のせいで、せっかくのコンサートに間に合わなかった。Because of a train delay, I couldn't make it to the concert I was so looking forward to.
Fun Fact
While the exact origins of 折角 are debated, a leading theory suggests it comes from the phrase 頭巾の角を折る, meaning 'to fold the corner of a hood'. The story tells of a well-known Confucian scholar who purposely folded his hood's corner to keep it from getting soaked by rain. This deliberate act was imitated by others, eventually leading 折角 to gain its idiomatic meaning of 'purposely' or 'to take the trouble to do something'.
Examples
折角彼のために弁当を作ってあげたのに、彼は忘れていった。
Despite going to all the trouble of making him a bento box, he forgot to take it with him.
折角の京都旅行だから、色々なお寺を見て回りたい。
Since this is a special trip to Kyoto, I want to visit a lot of different temples.
折角の週末なのに、仕事が入ってしまって台無しだ。
It's my long-awaited weekend, but it's ruined because I have to work.
折角日本に来たんだから、一度は納豆を食べてみたい。
Since I've come all the way to Japan, I want to try natto at least once.
折角高いカメラを買ったんだから、たくさん写真を撮ろう。
Since I went to the trouble of buying an expensive camera, I'm going to take a lot of pictures.
折角の連休ですが、台風が来るので外に出られません。
It's a special long weekend, but we can't go out because a typhoon is coming.
折角料理を作るなら、美味しいものを作った方がいい。
If you're going to put in the effort to cook, you should make something delicious.
折角部屋を掃除したのに、すぐ弟に汚された。
Even though I went to all the trouble of cleaning my room, my little brother immediately made it dirty again.
折角一時間も並んだのに、ラーメンが売り切れだった。
I went through the trouble of waiting in line for an hour, only to find out the ramen was sold out.
有名人が近くに来ているらしい。折角だから、サインをもらいに行こう。
I heard a celebrity is nearby. Since it's such a rare chance, let's go try to get an autograph.
折角たくさんの漢字を覚えたのに、試験の時に全部忘れてしまった。
I went to great pains to memorize a lot of kanji, but I completely forgot them all during the test.
折角プレゼントを買っても、相手が喜んでくれなければ意味がない。
Even if you go to the trouble of buying a present, there's no point if the other person doesn't like it.