Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Cannot finish doing; unable to complete an action.
🎯 Primary Function
To express the impossibility of completing an action due to quantity, length, or intensity.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb [Masu-stem] + 切れない (きれない)
Not applicable (this grammar attaches to verbs).
Not applicable (this grammar attaches to verbs).
Verb Stem + きれない (Already in negative potential form)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business reports or formal speeches when expressing that a task is overwhelming or a quantity is vast.
Informal Situations
Very common when talking about food (not being able to finish a meal) or tasks at hand.
Written Language
Common in novels and essays to emphasize the scale of something.
Spoken Language
Frequently used in daily life, often shortened to ~きれん in certain dialects, though ~きれない is standard.
💡 Common Applications
Excessive Quantity
Used when the amount of something is so large that the action of counting or consuming it cannot be completed.
Example: 数えきれない (Kazoekirenai) – Countless/Incalculable.
Emotional Inability
Used when something is so extreme that one cannot completely commit to a feeling or belief.
Example: 信じきれない (Shinjikirenai) – Cannot fully believe.
Physical Limitation
Used when a physical task is too long or difficult to finish.
Example: 走りきれない (Hashirikirenai) – Cannot run to the end.
Frequency
High in both daily conversation and literature.
Difficulty
JLPT N3
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
こんなにたくさん、一人では食べきれません。
Furigana: こんなにたくさん、一（ひと）人（り）では食（た）べきれません。
Romaji: Konna ni takusan, hitori de wa tabekiremasen.
English: There’s so much food here that I can’t finish it all by myself.
Example #2
数えきれないほどの星が空に輝いています。
Furigana: 数（かぞ）えきれないほどの星（ほし）が空（そら）に輝（かがや）いています。
Romaji: Kazoekirenai hodo no hoshi ga sora ni kagayaite imasu.
English: Countless stars are shining in the sky.
Example #3
彼の才能は言葉では言い切れません。
Furigana: 彼（かれ）の才（さい）能（のう）は言（こと）葉（ば）では言（い）いきれません。
Romaji: Kare no sainou wa kotoba de wa iikiremasen.
English: His talent cannot be fully described in words.
Example #4
一度には運びきれない荷物があります。
Furigana: 一度（いちど）には運（はこ）びきれない荷（に）物（もつ）があります。
Romaji: Ichido ni wa hakobikirenai nimotsu ga arimasu.
English: There is too much luggage to carry all at once.
Example #5
読みきれないほど本を買ってしまった。
Furigana: 読（よ）みきれないほど本（ほん）を買（か）ってしまった。
Romaji: Yomikirenai hodo hon o katte shimatta.
English: I ended up buying more books than I could ever finish reading.
Example #6
信じきれない話だが、本当らしい。
Furigana: 信（しん）じきれない話（はなし）だが、本（ほん）当（とう）らしい。
Romaji: Shinjikirenai hanashi daga, hontou rashii.
English: It’s a story that’s hard to fully believe, but it seems to be true.
Example #7
毎日、使いきれないほどのお金があったらいいのに。
Furigana: 毎（まい）日（にち）、使（つか）いきれないほどのお金（かね）があったらいいのに。
Romaji: Mainichi, tsukaikirenai hodo no okane ga attara ii noni.
English: I wish I had so much money that I couldn’t possibly spend it all.
Example #8
一晩では書ききれない量の手紙だ。
Furigana: 一晩（ひとばん）では書（か）ききれない量（りょう）の手（て）紙（がみ）だ。
Romaji: Hitoban de wa kakikirenai ryou no tegami da.
English: The volume of letters is too much to finish writing in a single night.
Example #9
感謝の気持ちは伝えきれません。
Furigana: 感（かん）謝（しゃ）の気（き）持（も）ちは伝（つた）えきれません。
Romaji: Kansha no kimochi wa tsutaekiremasen.
English: I cannot fully express my feelings of gratitude.
Example #10
遊びきれないほど広い公園です。
Furigana: 遊（あそ）びきれないほど広（ひろ）い公（こう）園（えん）です。
Romaji: Asobikirenai hodo hiroi kouen desu.
English: This park is so huge that you can’t explore/play in all of it in one go.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Emphasizes the ‘Finish’ or ‘Completion’
It emphasizes the ‘completeness’ of the action. Without ‘kiru’, it just means it won’t end.
Example: この仕事は明日までに終わりきらない。 (This work won’t completely finish by tomorrow.)
Subjective vs. Objective Limit
It often implies that even if you tried your best, the action cannot be 100% completed.
Example: 言い切れない (Cannot fully say/express).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using ‘kirenai’ to mean you have an allergy to something.
✅ 食べられない (Taberarenai) – Cannot eat (e.g., due to allergy).
Don’t confuse ‘cannot eat at all’ with ‘cannot finish eating because there is too much’.
❌ Thinking ‘kirenai’ only means ‘cannot cut’.
✅ 切りません (Kirimansen) – Do not cut.
Don’t confuse the auxiliary verb meaning ‘finish’ with the literal verb ‘to cut’.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite (when using ~kiremasen). It is a standard expression.
Social Situations: Used commonly at restaurants (leftovers) or work (workload).
Regional Variations: In some regions like Kansai, you might hear ‘kirehen’ instead of ‘kirenai’.
🔍 Subtle Differences
~きれない vs. ~できない
‘Dekinai’ is a general ‘cannot do’, while ‘kirenai’ specifically means ‘cannot finish’ or ‘cannot do to completion’.
When to use: Use ‘kirenai’ when you have already started the action but cannot reach the end.
~きれない vs. ~きらない
‘Kirenai’ is the potential negative (cannot finish), whereas ‘kiranai’ is the simple negative (does not finish/will not finish).
When to use: Use ‘kirenai’ to express inability.
📝 Conjugation Notes
‘Kirenai’ is the negative potential form of the auxiliary verb ‘kiru’. It follows the conjugation pattern of Ichidan (ru-verbs).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘ki’ sound is short. Ensure the ‘re’ is pronounced clearly to distinguish it from the potential ‘kireru’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘kiru’ (切る) as ‘cutting through’ a task to the very end. ‘Kirenai’ means you can’t cut through it because it’s too thick or too much.
Other Grammar
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