きり
kiri
Only; just; since; after
Indicates that something is the only case or that a state has continued since a past event.
How to form it
Attach to the past tense plain form of a verb (e.g., 会ったきり), or to a noun + の (e.g., あの日のきり).
What it means
きり has two main uses. First, it means 'only' or 'just' when referring to a single instance or person, often with a nuance of incompleteness or finality. For example, 二人きり means 'just the two of us.' Second, it means 'since' or 'after' when attached to the past tense of a verb, indicating that since that past event, something has not happened or a state has continued. In this sense, it often pairs with negative endings like 〜ない to express that nothing has occurred since then.
This pattern is more common in written or formal speech, but you will hear it in conversation too. It can sound a bit literary or emphatic compared to more common alternatives like 〜だけ or 〜てから. Note that in the 'since' meaning, the verb before きり is always in plain past tense, and the second clause often shows a continuing state or a lack of change.
Example sentences
彼とは去年会ったきり、全然連絡を取っていない。
Kare to wa kyonen atta kiri, zenzen renraku o totte inai.
Since I met him last year, I haven't contacted him at all.
二人きりで話したいことがあるんだ。
Futari kiri de hanashitai koto ga aru n da.
There's something I want to talk about just the two of us.
テレビをつけたきり、ずっと見ている。
Terebi o tsuketa kiri, zutto mite iru.
I turned on the TV and have been watching it ever since.
Don’t confuse it with
〜だけ
〜だけ simply means 'only' and is neutral, while きり in the 'only' sense often implies that something is limited and possibly insufficient or final, and it is more formal. For the 'since' meaning, きり is close to 〜てから, but きり emphasizes that the action has not been repeated or that the resulting state continues, often with a negative outcome.
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Somewhat formal or literary; in casual speech, you might hear きり in set phrases like 二人きり, but for the 'since' meaning, 〜てから or 〜たまま are more common.
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21Questions
What does きり mean?
Only; just; since; after. Indicates that something is the only case or that a state has continued since a past event.
How do you form きり?
Attach to the past tense plain form of a verb (e.g., 会ったきり), or to a noun + の (e.g., あの日のきり).
Example of きり in a sentence
彼とは去年会ったきり、全然連絡を取っていない。 — Since I met him last year, I haven't contacted him at all.
〜だけ — what is the difference?
〜だけ simply means 'only' and is neutral, while きり in the 'only' sense often implies that something is limited and possibly insufficient or final, and it is more formal. For the 'since' meaning, きり is close to 〜てから, but きり emphasizes that the action has not been repeated or that the resulting state continues, often with a negative outcome.
What JLPT level is きり?
JLPT N3 (intermediate), number 20 of 182 in Nihoner's learning order for N3.
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