〜きり kiri

〜きり（kiri）means “ever since (…and that was the last)”. Attached to the past (た) form, きり marks an action as the last time something happened, with the expected follow-up never occurring afterward. Formation: V-た + きり

ever since (…and that was the last)

N2

Formation

V-た + きり

Explanation

Attached to the past (た) form, きり marks an action as the last time something happened, with the expected follow-up never occurring afterward. 'He went out and never came back.' The second clause is typically negative or describes a state that has continued unchanged.

Examples

彼は朝出かけたきり、まだ帰ってこない。
かれはあさでかけたきり、まだかえってこない。
He went out in the morning and still hasn't come back.
卒業してから一度会ったきり、彼女とは会っていない。
そつぎょうしてからいちどあったきり、かのじょとはあっていない。
Since graduation I met her once and haven't seen her since.

Note

The 'last time and no more' use takes V-た. (きり also means 'only/just' after a noun, e.g. 二人きり, but that's a separate use.)

FAQ

〜きり — what does it mean and how is it used?

ever since (…and that was the last). Attached to the past (た) form, きり marks an action as the last time something happened, with the expected follow-up never occurring afterward. 'He went out and never came back.' The second clause is typically negative or describes a state that has continued unchanged.

〜きり — how do you form it?

V-た + きり

〜きり — any usage notes?

The 'last time and no more' use takes V-た. (きり also means 'only/just' after a noun, e.g. 二人きり, but that's a separate use.)

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