Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
To complete an action entirely; to do something thoroughly or to the extreme limit.
🎯 Primary Function
Attached to the ます-stem of a verb, ～切る indicates that the action is finished completely, leaving nothing undone, or that the action is performed to its fullest extent, sometimes implying exhaustion or using something up entirely.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb ます-stem + 切る (きる)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used in formal contexts when the base verb and overall sentence structure are formal.
Informal Situations
Very commonly used in everyday, informal conversations.
Written Language
Appears in various forms of writing, including literature, articles, and personal communication.
Spoken Language
Frequently used in spoken Japanese to emphasize the completeness of an action.
💡 Common Applications
Consuming or using something completely
Finishing all food or drink, or using an item until it is gone.
Example: ケーキを全部食べきりました。 (Kēki o zenbu tabekirimashita. – I ate the whole cake.)
Finishing a task or process thoroughly
Completing an action like reading a book or finishing a project from beginning to end.
Example: この長い小説を一日で読みきってしまいました。 (Kono nagai shōsetsu o ichinichi de yomikitte shimaimashita. – I finished reading this long novel in one day.)
Reaching a physical or mental limit
Expressing extreme exhaustion or using all available strength/resources.
Example: マラソンを走りきって、疲れきっています。 (Marason o hashikitte, tsukarekitte imasu. – I ran the marathon to the end and am utterly exhausted.)
Frequency
High
Difficulty
N3
Example Sentences
昼ご飯を食べきれなくて、残してしまいました。
I couldn’t finish my lunch and left some.
この長い小説を年末までに読みきりたいです。
I want to finish reading this long novel by the end of the year.
マラソンを最後まで走りきることができて、本当に嬉しかった。
I was really happy that I was able to run the marathon to the very end.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Always attach to the ます-stem.
This is the required conjugation rule for adding this suffix to a verb.
Example: ○ 読みきる (yomikiru)
× 読むきる (yomukiru)
Emphasizes completeness or extremity.
The key nuance is finishing *everything* or doing something *thoroughly* or *to the limit*.
Example: 宿題を終える (finish homework) vs. 宿題をやりきる (finish homework completely/thoroughly)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Confusing it with the standalone verb 切る (kiru) meaning “to cut”.
✅ Remember that ～切る is a suffix modifying the meaning of the base verb, not simply the verb “to cut” added after another verb.
The meaning “complete” or “extreme” comes from its function as a suffix, not the literal meaning of 切る (cut).
❌ Using it with verbs that don’t fit the nuance of completion or extremity.
✅ It is typically used with verbs that can logically be completed entirely or done to a limit (e.g., consuming, reading, finishing tasks, getting tired).
Avoid using it with state verbs or verbs where “completion” in this sense doesn’t apply (e.g., いるきる – to finish being there).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: The politeness level is determined by the conjugation of the resulting verb (e.g., ～切ります, ～切りました), not by the suffix ～切る itself.
Social Situations: Used across various social situations, from casual conversations about finishing food to formal reports on completing a project or selling out stock.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese grammar, no significant regional variations.
🔍 Subtle Differences
～切る vs. ～終える (~owaeru)
～切る emphasizes completing *all* of something or doing it *thoroughly* or *to the very end*. ～終える simply means the action has finished.
When to use: Use ～切る when you want to stress the completeness or thoroughness. Use ～終える for a general statement of finishing an action or task.
～切る vs. ～済む (~sumu)
～切る focuses on the action being done entirely or to its limit. ～済む is often used for completing necessary tasks or procedures.
When to use: Use ～切る for finishing consumption, reading completely, or reaching an extreme state. Use ～済む for completing required tasks like finishing a meal (in the sense of being done eating) or completing paperwork.
～切る vs. ～抜く (~nuku)
～抜く implies completing something, often difficult, by pushing through to the end. ～切る doesn’t necessarily imply difficulty, just completeness or extremity.
When to use: Use ～抜く when overcoming hardship is a key part of the completion. Use ～切る for straightforward total completion or reaching a limit.
📝 Conjugation Notes
～切る is a regular Godan verb and conjugates according to Godan rules (e.g., 切ります, 切って, 切れる, 切らない, 切れれば).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounced /ki.ɾɯ/, with the stress typically on the first syllable.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of “cutting off” the action, meaning you’ve done it so completely there’s nothing left to do.
Practice Exercises
このケーキ、とても大きいね。一人で＿＿？ (Kono kēki, totemo ōkii ne. Hitori de ____?) – This cake is very big, isn’t it? Can you ____ alone?
食べおわる
食べきる
食べはじめる
食べるつもり
宿題がたくさんあって、今日はすべて＿＿。 (Shukudai ga takusan atte, kyō wa subete ____.) – I had a lot of homework and couldn’t ____ all of it today.
やりきれた
やりきれなかった
やりきっている
やりきらない
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