Mastering “Kiru” (切る): From Cutting to Complete Action (V-切る)

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Mastering “Kiru” (切る): From Cutting to Complete Action (V-切る)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To complete an action entirely; to finish something completely, leaving nothing undone or left over. It can also imply doing something to the maximum extent.

🎯 Primary Function

To indicate the thoroughness, completeness, or exhaustive nature of a verb’s action.

📋 Grammar Structure

V-masu stem + 切る (V-kiru)
Not applicable (This is a verb suffix pattern).
Not applicable (This is a verb suffix pattern).
V-masu stem + 切れない (V-kirenai)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in formal written reports or business contexts, especially when confirming the complete consumption of resources (e.g., 売り切る – sold out, 使い切る – used up).

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used in casual speech to express completing daily tasks or consuming food/drink.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently appears in narrative writing, newspaper articles, and formal documentation to clearly state complete action.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very common in spoken Japanese, often used to express relief or exhaustion after completing a difficult task (e.g., 疲れ切った).

💡 Common Applications

Exhaustive Completion (Finishing everything)
Used when an action involves consuming or utilizing a finite resource completely, like finishing all the food or selling all the stock.
Example: ご飯を全部食べ切った。 (Gohan o zenbu tabekitta.)
Completion of a Difficult or Intense Action
Used to emphasize that an action, often strenuous or challenging, was completed thoroughly until the end.
Example: 最後まで走り切る。 (Saigo made hashirikiru.)
Inability to Complete (Negative Form: V-切れない)
The negative form indicates that the speaker is unable to complete the action due to its difficulty or magnitude (it’s “too much” to handle).
Example: 宿題が多すぎてやり切れない。 (Shukudai ga ōisugite yarikirenai.)
📊
Frequency
Moderately frequent, especially in daily life when discussing consumption or completion of tasks.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3 / N2 Intermediate to Advanced
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
この小説は面白すぎて、昨日一日で読み切った。
Furigana: このしょうせつはおもしろすぎて、きのういちにちでよみきった。
Romaji: Kono shōsetsu wa omoshirosugite, kinō ichinichi de yomikitta.
English: I was too interested in this novel, so I read it completely in one day yesterday.
Example #2
彼は大量の宿題を徹夜でやり切った。
Furigana: かれはたいりょうのしゅくだいをてつやでやりきった。
Romaji: Kare wa tairyō no shukudai o tetsuya de yarikitta.
English: He completely finished the massive amount of homework by pulling an all-nighter.
Example #3
マラソンは苦しかったが、最後まで走り切ることができた。
Furigana: マラソンはくるしかったが、さいごまで はしりきることができた。
Romaji: Marason wa kurushikatta ga, saigo made hashirikiru koto ga dekita.
English: The marathon was tough, but I was able to run until the very end.
Example #4
このケーキは大きすぎるから、一人では食べ切れないだろう。
Furigana: このケーキはおおきすぎるから、ひとりではたべきれないだろう。
Romaji: Kono kēki wa ōkisugiru kara, hitori de wa tabekirenai darō.
English: This cake is too big, so I probably can’t eat all of it by myself.
Example #5
在庫を全て売り切るために、セールを行った。
Furigana: ざいこをすべてうりきるために、セールをおこなった。
Romaji: Zaiko o subete urikiru tame ni, sēru o okonatta.
English: We held a sale to sell out all the inventory.
Example #6
彼女は自分の意見をはっきりと 言い切った。
Furigana: かのじょは じぶんのいけんをはっきりといいきった。
Romaji: Kanojo wa jibun no iken o hakkiri to iikitta.
English: She clearly and definitively stated her own opinion.
Example #7
この問題は難しすぎて、私には解き切れない。
Furigana: このもんだいはむずかしすぎて、わたしにはとききれない。
Romaji: Kono mondai wa muzukashisugite, watashi ni wa tokikirenai.
English: This problem is too difficult, I cannot solve it completely.
Example #8
冷蔵庫のビールを全部飲み切ってしまった。
Furigana: れいぞうこのビールをぜんぶのみきってしまった。
Romaji: Reizōko no bīru o zenbu nomikitte shimatta.
English: I ended up drinking all the beer in the fridge.
Example #9
旅行の準備で疲れ切っている。
Furigana: りょこうのじゅんびでつかれきっている。
Romaji: Ryokō no junbi de tsukarekitte iru.
English: I am completely exhausted from preparing for the trip.
Example #10
出かける前に、全ての準備をしきらなければならない。
Furigana: でかけるまえに、すべてのじゅんびをしきらなければならない。
Romaji: Dekakeru mae ni, subete no junbi o shikiru nakereba naranai.
English: You must finish all the preparation before you leave.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Implies Exhaustion or Utilization
When attached to verbs of consumption (e.g., 使う, 食べる, 飲む), V-切る implies that the entire supply has been used or consumed.
Example: 電池を使い切った。 (Denchi o tsukaikitta.)
Expresses Certainty and Definition
With verbs like 言う (to say), V-切る means to state something definitively, without reservation or doubt.
Example: 彼は自分の意見を言い切るタイプだ。 (Kare wa jibun no iken o iikiru taipu da.)
Intensification of State
When attached to certain verbs (like 疲れる), it intensifies the state, meaning ‘completely exhausted’ or ‘utterly worn out.’
Example: あまりの忙しさに、疲れ切ってしまった。 (Amari no isogashisa ni, tsukarekitte shimatta.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ この本を読み終わった。 (Kono hon o yomiowatta.) when the intent is to say ‘I read the whole thing, every page.’
✅ V-終える (V-oeru) or V-る (V-ru)
Students often use V-終える or the plain V-ru form when V-切る is more appropriate to convey the nuance of ‘completing entirely’ or ‘using up.’
❌ 駅に着き切った。 (Eki ni tsukikitta.)
✅ Using V-切る with actions that are naturally complete or momentary.
切る works best with durational or compound verbs. It sounds unnatural with momentary actions like ‘to arrive’ (着く).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. The politeness depends on the overall sentence structure and the conjugation of the final V-切る (e.g., V-切ります is polite, V-切った is casual).
Social Situations: Often used in contexts of achievement, exhaustion, or resource management. The negative form V-切れない is commonly used to express one’s limits or the overwhelming nature of a task.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations in its grammatical use as a suffix.

🔍 Subtle Differences

V-切る (V-kiru) vs. V-終える (V-oeru)
V-切る emphasizes the exhaustive, thorough, or difficult nature of the completion, often implying nothing is left. V-終える simply means the action has reached its end or conclusion.
When to use: Use V-切る when stressing that you finished something completely, perhaps with effort (e.g., eating a huge meal). Use V-終える when merely stating the fact of completion (e.g., finishing a report).
V-切れない (V-kirenai) vs. V-られない (Potential Form)
V-切れない means the task is too large or difficult to complete entirely (too much to handle). V-られない (Potential) means the physical or skill-based ability to perform the action is lacking.
When to use: Use V-切れない for ‘cannot finish/too much’ (e.g., I can’t read this entire book because it’s too thick). Use V-られない for ‘cannot read’ (e.g., I can’t read this because my eyes are bad).

📝 Conjugation Notes

The basic verb 切る (kiru) is a Godan verb (u-verb). When used as a suffix, it attaches to the Masu stem (連用形 – ren’yōkei) of the main verb, and then conjugates as a Godan verb itself (e.g., 飲む → 飲みます → 飲み切る → 飲み切った).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The /ki/ in 切る is pronounced clearly. When combined as a suffix, the accent falls on the final /ru/ of 切る (unless the preceding verb changes the accent pattern). For example, 食べ切る has a high pitch on ‘ki’ and ‘ru’ (たべ**き**る), contrasting with 食べます (た**べ**ます).

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of the literal meaning of 切る (to cut) as ‘cutting off the process’ or ‘cutting off the possibility of continuation,’ signifying the complete termination of the action. Imagine physically ‘cutting’ the task in half only to realize you must ‘cut off’ the entire remainder.

Other Grammar

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