〜ぶりに: 'For the First Time In...' (Meaning + Examples)
Marking a gap since last time
〜ぶりに says that something is happening for the first time since a stretch of time passed — the focus is on how long it's been, not just that time passed. It's most natural with meetings, returns, and reunions, and often implies the speaker feels something about the wait (relief, nostalgia, surprise).
やったんは三年ぶりに故郷に帰った。
やったんは さんねんぶりに こきょうに かえった。
Yattan returned to his hometown for the first time in three years.
三年ぶりに = it had been three years since the last visit.
モチと久しぶりに会って、昔話に花が咲いた。
モチと ひさしぶりに あって、むかしばなしに はなが さいた。
I met Mochi for the first time in ages, and we got lost in old memories.
このところ野宿ばかりだったから、久しぶりにゆっくり布団で眠れた。
このところ のじゅくばかりだったから、ひさしぶりに ゆっくり ふとんで ねむれた。
I'd been sleeping outdoors lately, so I finally got a proper rest in a futon after a long while.
Attaching to a time expression
〜ぶりに attaches directly to a length of time (a number + counter, or 久し for an unspecified "long while"). It can also drop the に and modify a noun directly with 〜ぶりの.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Number + time counter | 期間 + ぶりに | 三年ぶりに (for the first time in 3 years) |
| 久し (vague "long time") | 久しぶりに | 久しぶりに会う |
| Before a noun | 〜ぶりの + 名詞 | 三年ぶりの再会 (a reunion after 3 years) |
十年ぶりに再会した二人は、涙を流して喜んだ。
じゅうねんぶりに さいかいした ふたりは、なみだを ながして よろこんだ。
The two of them, reuniting for the first time in ten years, cried with joy.
Noun-modifying form: 十年ぶりの再会 works the same way.
Don't confuse with 〜後に
〜後に (あとに) just means "after X amount of time," neutrally stating a sequence — 3年後に引っ越した ("moved after 3 years"). 〜ぶりに instead measures the gap since a previous occurrence of the same thing, and only makes sense when there was a first occurrence to compare to. You can't say 3年ぶりに生まれた (you weren't "born again" after 3 years) — but 3年ぶりに帰国した (returning after 3 years abroad) works perfectly.
The short version
- 〜ぶりに = "for the first time in [period]" — marks a gap since the last time something happened.
- Attaches to: a length of time (数字＋期間, or 久し) + ぶりに; noun-modifying form is 〜ぶりの.
- Nuance/register: often nostalgic, relieved, or emotionally colored — used for reunions and returns.
- Don't confuse with: 〜後に, which is a neutral "after X time" with no implied repetition.
Practice it
Choose ぶりに when the sentence marks a gap since something last happened.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿に会ったんだから、酒でも飲みながら、昔話にでも花を咲かせるとするか。
Where 〜ぶりに fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜について · N3 — 〜について marks the topic you talk, think, or write about: 日本の文化について話す. Learn the form, the についての + noun pattern, についても, and how it differs from に関して.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- どうやら — どうやら is an adverb meaning 'it seems' or 'apparently' — a guess based on what you've observed, usually paired with らしい or ようだ at the end of the sentence: どうやら〜らしい ('it seems that...').
- ふたたび — ふたたび (再び) is a formal, literary adverb meaning 'again' or 'once more' — used for repeated events with emotional or significant weight, contrasting with the everyday また.
- 〜反面 — 〜反面 contrasts two aspects of the same subject, meaning 'while' or 'on the other hand' — 給料は高い反面、忙しい ('the pay is good, but on the other hand it's busy'). Unlike が, both sides describe the same thing.
- 果たして — 果たして is an adverb with two uses: with a plain statement it means 'sure enough, as expected'; paired with か/かどうか it means 'I wonder if it will really...' — questioning whether something will truly happen.
- いわゆる — いわゆる means 'so-called' or 'what you might call' — it flags that the noun right after it is a commonly known label, sometimes with a hint of distance from the speaker's own judgment. It never conjugates and always sits directly before a noun (phrase).
- いよいよ — いよいよ is an adverb meaning 'at last / finally' when an anticipated moment arrives, or 'more and more / increasingly' when something intensifies. Comes right before the verb or clause it modifies and never conjugates.