Mastering ～きる and ～ぬく: Advanced Japanese Completion and Perseverance -

Japanese Grammar Template

Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Both ～きる and ～ぬく attach to the ます-stem of a verb to indicate the completion of an action. However, they carry distinct nuances.

🎯 Primary Function

To express that an action has been completed, either fully, to its extent, or by overcoming difficulty.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (ます-stem) + きる / ぬく

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in both formal and informal contexts, depending on the main verb.

😊 Informal Situations

Used in both formal and informal contexts, depending on the main verb.

✍️ Written Language

Common in written language, especially ～ぬく when discussing overcoming challenges.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Used in spoken Japanese, particularly in focused discussions about tasks or endurance.

💡 Common Applications

Complete Action (～きる)

Indicates that an action is finished completely, leaving nothing undone or used up.

Example: この本は一日で読みきった。 (I read this entire book in one day.)

Doing to the Utmost/Limit (～きる)

Expresses doing something as much as possible, or being in a state completely.

Example: 考えきれずに、結論が出なかった。 (I couldn’t think it through completely, so I didn’t reach a conclusion.) 疲れきって、動けなかった。 (I was utterly exhausted and couldn’t move.)

Completing Despite Difficulty (～ぬく)

Indicates that an action was carried out to completion, emphasizing the effort and perseverance required to overcome obstacles.

Example: 大変だったが、最後までやりぬいた。 (It was tough, but I saw it through to the end.)

📊

Frequency

Moderately frequent in advanced Japanese, especially in contexts discussing effort, completion, or limits.

🎚️

Difficulty

Example Sentences

このケーキ、大きかったけど全部食べきったよ！

This cake was big, but I ate it all!

プロジェクトを成功させるために、最後まで考え抜いた。

To make the project succeed, I thought it through to the very end.

マラソン、本当にきつかったけど、なんとか走り抜くことができた。

The marathon was really tough, but somehow I managed to run through it to the end.

Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Nuance of ～きる

Primarily indicates completion (“do entirely”) or reaching a limit/extent (“do to the fullest”, “utterly”). Can sometimes imply inability to complete or hide something (～きれない).

Example: 疲れきった (utterly exhausted), 悲しみを隠しきれない (cannot fully hide sadness)

Nuance of ～ぬく

Strongly emphasizes completing something difficult through perseverance and effort.

Example: 苦労してやりぬいた (managed to finish it with great effort)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using ～きる when emphasizing overcoming difficulty

✅ Use ～ぬく instead.

～きる focuses on simple completion or extent, not the struggle involved.

❌ Using the wrong verb form before ～きる/ぬく

✅ Always use the ます-stem.

Attaching to the plain form or other forms is incorrect.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral, politeness is determined by the overall sentence structure.

Social Situations: Widely used in various situations where completion, effort, or limits are discussed.

Regional Variations: Standard Japanese usage, no significant regional variations.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～きる vs. ～ぬく

～きる focuses on the state of being finished or reaching a limit; ～ぬく focuses on the process of enduring difficulty to finish.

When to use: Use ～きる for simple completion or reaching an extent/limit. Use ～ぬく when emphasizing that completion was achieved despite hardship or effort.

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When to use: undefined

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When to use: undefined

📝 Conjugation Notes

Attach directly to the ます form stem of any verb. e.g., 行きます -> 行ききる/行きぬく. Note that verbs that don’t typically involve effort or completion (like いる, ある) are generally not used with these patterns in their core meanings, though some idiomatic phrases exist.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounce きる (ki-ru) and ぬく (nu-ku) clearly after the verb stem. Pay attention to the pitch accent of the combined word, which often depends on the base verb.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of きる as “cutting off” (finishing) and ぬく as “pulling through” (persevering).

Vocabulary List

食べる

taberu

to eat

読む

yomu

to read

書く

kaku

to write

走る

hashiru

to run

考える

kangaeru

to think

やり遂げる

yaritoげる

to accomplish

困難

difficulty

Kanji List

完

kan

complete, finish

抜

nuku, nu

pull out, pass through, omit

克

koku

overcome

難

nan

difficult

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Practice Exercises

試験勉強は大変だったが、何とか最後(　　)ことができた。

① 読みきること

② 走りぬくこと

③ やりぬくこと

④ 食べきること

この小説は面白くて、一日で(　　)しまった。

① 読みぬいて

② 読みきって

③ 書きぬいて

④ 書ききって

thuandao

I’m a software engineer based in Japan, with experience in developing web and mobile applications. I’m passionate about technology, especially in DevOps, AI, and app development using platforms like AWS, Flutter, and Node.js. My goal is to build a website that shares knowledge about the Japanese language and IT, helping everyone learn and grow more easily in the digital era.

Mastering ～きる and ～ぬく: Advanced Japanese Completion and Perseverance

✨ Basic Meaning

🎯 Primary Function

📋 Grammar Structure

🎭 Usage Contexts

💡 Common Applications

📌 Important Points

⚠️ Common Mistakes

🏛️ Cultural Context

🔍 Subtle Differences

📝 Conjugation Notes

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

🧠 Memory Tips

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✨ Basic Meaning

🎯 Primary Function

📋 Grammar Structure

🎭 Usage Contexts

💡 Common Applications

📌 Important Points

⚠️ Common Mistakes

🏛️ Cultural Context

🔍 Subtle Differences

📝 Conjugation Notes

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

🧠 Memory Tips

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