particle N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜きり — only ~ / and that was the last ~
〜きり ・ きり
Meaning
① only: only ~ / just ~ — limits to that one thing or amount, often with a sense of nothing else besides
② and-then-nothing: (did ~) and that was the last / hasn't ~ since — after the action, the expected follow-up never came
Key sentence
① only
二人きりで話したい。
I want to talk just the two of us.
② and-then-nothing
彼は出かけたきり、帰ってこない。
He went out and hasn't come back since.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / counter — 'only' sense | N + きり | 一人きり / 二回きり |
| Verb (た-form) — 'and then nothing' sense | V-た + きり | 寝たきり / 借りたきり |
Examples
① only
貯金はこれっきりしかない。
This is all the savings I have, nothing more.
一度きりの人生だ。
You only live once.
② and-then-nothing
あの人とは一度会ったきりだ。
I met that person just once and never again.
Easily confused with
〜だけ だけ is the neutral, all-purpose 'only.' きり is more colloquial and limited in use, and adds an emotional 'just this and nothing more' feel (二人きり = 'all alone together'). しか〜ない しか requires a negative and stresses the shortfall ('only 100 yen — not enough'). The 'only' sense of きり simply marks the limit without needing a negative (一度きり = 'just once').
Notes
- The 'and then nothing' sense gives the common word 寝たきり ('bedridden') — literally 'lay down and stayed that way.'
See 〜きり in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜きり the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.