endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~ (切りがない) – Japanese Grammar 切りがない (kiri ga nai)

Q: What JLPT level is 切りがない?

JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Q: How do you use 切りがない in a sentence?

Attach 切りがない to the appropriate verb or noun form. Endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~

Q: Is 切りがない formal or casual Japanese?

切りがない is typically used in formal or written Japanese contexts.

切りがない

N1 GRAMMAR ⏱ 0s study 📖 0 today

kiri ga nai

endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~

ためしがない tameshi ga nai きっての kitte no ものとする mono to suru にかこつけて ni kako tsukete ながらに / ながらの nagara ni/no ものを mono o に先駆けて ni sakigakete 限りだ kagiri da すら / ですら sura / de sura の至り no itari に ni て敵わない te kanawanai こそすれ koso sure ただ〜のみだ tada~nomi da とは比べものにならない towa kurabemono ni naranai を経て o hete そびれる sobireru に至っては ni ittate wa の極み no kiwami と見るや to miru ya ためしがない tameshi ga nai きっての kitte no ものとする mono to suru にかこつけて ni kako tsukete ながらに / ながらの nagara ni/no ものを mono o に先駆けて ni sakigakete 限りだ kagiri da すら / ですら sura / de sura の至り no itari に ni て敵わない te kanawanai こそすれ koso sure ただ〜のみだ tada~nomi da とは比べものにならない towa kurabemono ni naranai を経て o hete そびれる sobireru に至っては ni ittate wa の極み no kiwami と見るや to miru ya

🃏 Flashcard

切りがない

kiri ga nai

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endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~

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📊 Pattern Stats

JLPT Level N1

Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Reading kiri ga nai

Post ID 51244

Patterns today 0

0 / 10 daily goal

📝 Usage Notes

endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~

📖 How to use it

Expresses that something is endless, boundless, or has no end in sight.

Attaches to Attach to the て-form of a verb, or to a noun followed by が. Also used with the particle が as in 切りがない, but the pattern is ～て切りがない or ～が切りがない.

This pattern is used to say that there is no end to something, often implying that it's futile or frustrating to try to deal with it all. It can follow the て-form of a verb to indicate that doing that action repeatedly or endlessly is pointless because you'll never finish. It can also follow a noun with が to say that the noun itself is boundless or infinite.

It carries a tone of resignation or complaint. For example, if you say 仕事がたくさんあって切りがない, you're moaning that there's too much work and you'll never see the end of it. The nuance is that the situation is overwhelming, and trying to complete it is like chasing the horizon.

This is a fairly conversational expression, though it can appear in writing. It's not rude, but it's best used in informal or semi-formal contexts. At N1 level, you'll encounter it in narratives and conversations alike.

この本は読んでいくうちに、新しい疑問が次々出てきて切りがない。

Kono hon wa yonde iku uchi ni, atarashii gimon ga tsugitsugi dete kite kiri ga nai.

As I read this book, new questions keep coming up, and there's no end to them.

彼の話は長くて、いつ終わるのかと思ったら、まだまだ続きがあって切りがない。

Kare no hanashi wa nagakute, itsu owaru no ka to omottara, mada mada tsuzuki ga atte kiri ga nai.

His story is so long; just when I thought it would end, there's more and no end in sight.

この仕事はやることが多すぎて、全部終わらせるのは切りがない。

Kono shigoto wa yaru koto ga oosugite, zenbu owaraseru no wa kiri ga nai.

There's so much to do in this job that finishing it all is endless.

Not きりがないきりがない is often heard in casual speech as a variant of 切りがない, but 切りがない is the standard form. Also, don't confuse with ～てやまない (cannot stop ~ing) which is about strong emotion, not about endlessness.

Register Mostly used in spoken and written Japanese to express complaint or resignation about an endless situation; it's not formal or literary but can be used in neutral contexts.

🎯 Quick Quiz

What does this grammar pattern mean or do?

切りがない

📚 How to Master This Pattern

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Say It Aloud

Press Hear it and repeat 切りがない three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.

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Flip Before Reading

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Write Two Sentences

Compose two original sentences using 切りがない. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.

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Spaced Review

Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.

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bad habit; to have a tendency to ~

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the most / greatest … of all

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grammar pattern 切りがない mean? ▼

Endless; boundless; there’s no end to ~

What JLPT level is 切りがない? ▼

Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.

How do you use 切りがない in a sentence? ▼

Attach 切りがない (kiri ga nai) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.

Is 切りがない formal or casual Japanese? ▼

切りがない is used in formal or written contexts. You will see it mainly in written texts, news, business Japanese and academic contexts.

How can I remember 切りがない long-term? ▼

Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.