〜にかまけて (~ni kamakete) — (too) taken up with ~ (and neglecting other things)

So caught up in one thing that something you should do got neglected — often said in self-reproach.

Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)

N + にかまけて

Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)

When to use it

Your first year in Japan — factory in the morning, part-time job at night, overtime even on days off. Then a message from your mother: 'Son, it's been three months since you called.' And you feel ashamed: 「仕事の忙しさにかまけて、家族に連絡していなかった」.

Meaning

That is the feeling of 「〜にかまけて」: your mind and time were all tied up in N, so something else you should have done got neglected.

How to attach

Attach 「にかまけて」after a noun (忙しさ・仕事・育児・遊び・ゲーム).

Versus what you know

Don't mix it up with the previous point, 「〜にかこつけて」: there, an excuse is made on purpose; with 「かまけて」there is no trick — you really were busy or absorbed, and as a result something else slipped.
N3「〜てばかりいる」says 'does nothing but that', but doesn't name what was missed; 「かまけて」puts the missed thing at the centre.

Watch out

Key rule: a bad result always follows — 〜ない・〜をおろそかにする・〜が後回しになる.
A good result like 「勉強にかまけて合格した」never comes after it.

Examples (उदाहरणहरू)

仕事の忙しさにかまけて、ネパールの家族に半年も電話していない。

しごとのいそがしさにかまけて、ネパールのかぞくにはんとしもでんわしていない。

Caught up in how busy work is, I haven't called my family in Nepal for six months.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 仕事の忙しさ = how busy work is (N) → 「にかまけて」= getting tangled up in just that → then what got left undone: 電話していない = haven't called (「半年も」= for a whole six months!).

育児にかまけて、自分の健康診断を後回しにしていた。

いくじにかまけて、じぶんのけんこうしんだんをあとまわしにしていた。

Wrapped up in childcare, I kept putting off my own health check-up.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 育児 = raising a child (N) → 「にかまけて」 → then what got neglected: 健康診断を後回しにしていた = kept putting off the health check-up.

ゲームにかまけて、日本語の勉強がおろそかになってしまった。

ゲームにかまけて、にほんごのべんきょうがおろそかになってしまった。

Too absorbed in games, I ended up neglecting my Japanese studies.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) ゲーム = games (N) → 「にかまけて」 → then the bad result: おろそかになる = to get too little attention, to be neglected → 「てしまった」 shows regret.

Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)

Question: 1/3

「遊び＿＿かまけて、宿題を出すのを忘れた。」— fill the blank.

💡 Hint: Which particle comes before 「かまける」?