Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
“Since/After (doing something), (no change has occurred/it hasn’t happened again).” Also, “Only/Just.”
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate that an action was the final one, and the resulting state or absence has continued uninterrupted. It often carries a nuance of neglect or an unusual situation.
📋 Grammar Structure
動詞のた形 + きり (V-ta form + kiri)
N/A (Primarily used with V-ta form or Nouns)
Noun + きり (きり can act as a particle, meaning ‘only’)
N/A (The pattern itself is not conjugated negatively, but implies a negative result.)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in polite speech (V-ta きりです) and reports, but the tone can be slightly informal/colloquial compared to 以来 (irai).
Informal Situations
Very commonly used among friends and family to express surprise or concern over a continuing state.
Written Language
Appears in essays, letters, and narratives, often to add emotional depth to a description of a continued state.
Spoken Language
Frequent in conversational Japanese. The shortened form 「っきり」 (kkiri) is often heard.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing a prolonged state of absence or continuation.
Used when an action occurred, and a necessary or expected subsequent action (like returning or contacting) has not happened, often implying concern or disappointment.
Example: 彼は家を出たきり、もう三日も連絡がない。
Emphasizing a limitation or an exclusive state.
Equivalent to 「だけ」, meaning “only” or “just.” This usage is common with nouns or counting words.
Example: 参加者は私ときりだ。
Describing an action that was started but remains incomplete.
Indicates that the last thing done was the initial action, and nothing further has been accomplished.
Example: 宿題はタイトルを書いたきり、進んでいない。
Frequency
Moderately High
Difficulty
N3-N2 Intermediate to Advanced
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
彼とは去年の夏に会ったきり、連絡が取れていない。
Furigana: かれとはきょねんのなつにあったきり、れんらくがとれていない。
Romaji: Kare to wa kyonen no natsu ni atta kiri, renraku ga torete inai.
English: We met last summer, and since then, we haven’t been in contact.
Example #2
子どもは一度ゲームを始めたきり、食事にも来ない。
Furigana: こどもはいちどゲームをはじめたきり、しょくじにもこない。
Romaji: Kodomo wa ichido gēmu o hajimeta kiri, shokuji ni mo konai.
English: The child started playing the game and hasn’t come for dinner since.
Example #3
彼女は「ごめんね」と言ったきり、部屋を出ていった。
Furigana: かのじょは「ごめんね」といったきり、へやをでていった。
Romaji: Kanojo wa “gomen ne” to itta kiri, heya o dete itta.
English: She just said “I’m sorry” and then left the room. (Implying she didn’t say anything else).
Example #4
彼はちょっとコンビニに行ったきり、もう二時間も戻ってこない。
Furigana: かれはちょっとコンビニにいったきり、もうにじかんももどってこない。
Romaji: Kare wa chotto konbini ni itta kiri, mō nijikan mo modotte konai.
English: He went to the convenience store briefly and hasn’t come back for two hours.
Example #5
妹は朝ご飯を食べたきり、何も口にしていない。
Furigana: いもうとはあさごはんをたべたきり、なにもくちにしていない。
Romaji: Imōto wa asagohan o tabeta kiri, nani mo kuchi ni shite inai.
English: My younger sister hasn’t eaten anything since having breakfast this morning.
Example #6
その本は、最初のページを読んだきりで、そのままになっている。
Furigana: そのほんは、さいしょのページをよんだきりで、そのままになっている。
Romaji: Sono hon wa, saisho no pēji o yonda kiri de, sono mama ni natte iru.
English: That book, I only read the first page and left it as is.
Example #7
東京に引っ越してから、古い友達に会ったのは一回きりだ。
Furigana: とうきょうにひっこしてから、ふるいともだちにあったのはいっかいきりだ。
Romaji: Tōkyō ni hikkoshite kara, furui tomodachi ni atta no wa ikkai kiri da.
English: After moving to Tokyo, I only saw my old friends once.
Example #8
財布の中には、このお金きりが残っていない。
Furigana: さいふのなかには、このおかねきりがのこっていない。
Romaji: Saifu no naka ni wa, kono okane kiri ga nokotte inai.
English: There is only this money left in my wallet.
Example #9
祖父は入院してから、ずっと寝たきりだ。
Furigana: そふはにゅういんしてから、ずっとねたきりだ。
Romaji: Sofu wa nyūin shite kara, zutto netakiri da.
English: My grandfather has been bedridden since he was hospitalized. (Set phrase)
Example #10
今日は忙しくて、コーヒーを一杯飲んだきりだ。
Furigana: きょうはいそがしくて、コーヒーをいっぱいなんだきりだ。
Romaji: Kyō wa isogashikute, kōhī o ippai nonda kiri da.
English: Today was so busy, I only drank one cup of coffee.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Implied Negative Outcome: Vたきり usually implies that an expected change or subsequent action has *not* happened, which is often negative or unusual.
The key point is that the *expected* action (playing, running, etc.) is missing. The emphasis is on the lack of change since the initial action.
Example: うちの犬は、餌を食べたきり、ずっと寝ている。
Dual Function: Remember its second function as a particle of limitation, meaning ‘only/just’ (Nきり).
When used with a noun/counter, it functions exactly like 「だけ」 (dake). It emphasizes limitation or exclusivity.
Example: 彼はビールを一杯きり飲まなかった。
Finality of Action: The action preceding きり is presented as the last completed action of that type.
The initial action (showing a smile) was the final interaction, and the speaker is left wondering about the result (where he went, why he didn’t stay).
Example: 彼は私に笑顔を見せたきり、どこかへ行ってしまった。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 彼は東京へ行ったきり、すぐ戻ってきた。
✅ Using it with a change of state. (e.g., 彼女は病気が治ったきり元気だ。)
きり focuses on the *lack* of subsequent action or change. If a change happened, use a different structure like 「〜てから」.
❌ 彼は毎日コーヒーを飲むきりだ。 (Should be Vたきり or just 飲むだけだ)
✅ Using the dictionary form of the verb for the V-ta form meaning.
When expressing ‘since/after,’ you must use the V-ta form. The V-dictionary form (Vるきり) only means ‘only/just (doing that).’
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral/Colloquial. While not inherently rude, it’s often used in neutral or familiar contexts. To be polite, attach です/ます at the end of the sentence.
Social Situations: Often used to express worry or slight criticism when talking about a third party who has failed to follow up on an action (e.g., a friend who hasn’t called back).
Regional Variations: The colloquial variation 「っきり」 (kkiri) is common across regions, especially in informal settings.
🔍 Subtle Differences
Vたきり vs. Vたまま
きり emphasizes the lack of subsequent action or contact. まま emphasizes the continuance of the state created by the verb, without external interference.
When to use: Use きり when you want to express that someone didn’t return or didn’t follow up. Use まま when describing an object or person left in an unchanged state.
Vたきり vs. 〜て以来 (te irai)
以来 is more formal and simply means ‘since,’ without the strong implication of regret or disappointment found in きり.
When to use: Use Vたきり in conversation when expressing concern or disappointment. Use 以来 in formal writing or when simply stating a time frame since an event.
Nきり vs. Nだけ
They are almost interchangeable for the ‘only’ meaning, but きり sometimes carries a slightly more emphatic or literary nuance, and is common with single-person nouns (一人きり).
When to use: Use Nきり when the number/amount is small or limited (e.g., 一人きり, 二人きり). Use Nだけ in most general ‘only’ contexts.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Always attaches to the past tense (た-form) of a verb for the meaning “since/after.” For the “only” meaning, it attaches directly to nouns, counters, or the dictionary form of a verb.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The pitch accent is usually flat (きり). When used as 「っきり」(kkiri), the doubled consonant (っ) requires a brief pause, emphasizing the limitation or finality.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the image: ‘cut off’ (きり) from the expected sequence of events. Once that action happened, the connection to what should have followed was severed.
Other Grammar
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