〜きり: 'Only' / 'Ever Since (and No Change)'
One idea splitting into two jobs
きり carries a single core idea — "that's it, nothing beyond" — but that idea branches into two patterns that behave very differently. Meet the friendlier one first: noun + きり = "only, just," capping a quantity, a time span, or a group at exactly that much, with a faint ring of finality:
モチと二人きりで話した。
モチと ふたりきりで はなした。
I talked with Mochi, just the two of us.
あのコンサートは一度きりだった。
あの コンサートは いちどきりだった。
That concert happened only once.
一度きり = one time and no more.
The た-form twist: an action that led nowhere
The second pattern is where きり earns its N3 stripes. Verb (た-form) + きり describes an action after which the expected follow-up simply never arrived — "ever since X, and then nothing":
先生は教室を出ていったきり、戻ってこない。
せんせいは きょうしつを でて いったきり、もどって こない。
The teacher left the classroom and hasn't come back since.
We expected the teacher to return — but no.
ヤッタンは朝コーヒーを飲んだきり、何も食べていない。
ヤッタンは あさ コーヒーを のんだきり、なにも たべて いない。
Yattan has had nothing but morning coffee — nothing to eat since.
Building both patterns
Here is every shape きり takes, side by side:
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Only (counter/amount) | number + counter + きり | 一度きり (only once) |
| Only (group) | number + 人 + きり | 二人きり (just the two of us) |
| Only this | これ + っきり | これっきり (only this much / this is the last) |
| Since (and no change) | Verb た-form + きり | 出かけたきり (since going out) |
In casual speech きり often doubles up into っきり (一人っきり, これっきり) — same meaning, just more colloquial. A few more of both senses in the wild:
弟は部屋に入ったきり、出てこない。
おとうとは へやに はいったきり、でて こない。
My little brother went into his room and hasn't come out.
た + きり: the expected 'coming out' didn't happen.
この財布、五百円きりしか入っていない。
この さいふ、ごひゃくえんきりしか はいって いない。
There's only 500 yen in this wallet — that's it.
きり reinforcing しか〜ない for 'nothing more than.'
モチとは去年会ったきりだ。
モチとは きょねん あったきりだ。
The last time I saw Mochi was a year ago.
あったきり: met once and haven't met since.
今日きりで、このお店は閉まります。
きょうきりで、この おみせは しまります。
As of today and no later, this shop is closing.
Why the missing follow-up is everything
The た-form use is the one learners fumble. The point isn't merely "since X happened" — it's that after X, the thing you'd normally expect never occurred. Compare:
- 朝ごはんを食べたきり、何も食べていない。— "Since breakfast I've eaten nothing." (You'd expect more meals; there were none.)
- 彼に貸した本は、貸したきり返ってこない。— "The book I lent him never came back." (You'd expect it returned; it wasn't.)
Strip out that expected-but-absent next step and きり no longer fits — you'd fall back on neutral 〜てから-style sequencing instead. So the whole flavor lives in the unfulfilled expectation, and three habits protect it. Attach きり to the past plain form (寝たきり, never 寝るきり — 寝たきり is even the fixed word for "bedridden"). Keep the negative or "no-change" tail that the sense almost always ends on (…たきり、〜ない); without it the sentence dangles. And never let a resolution sneak in: 出かけたきり、すぐ帰ってきた is self-contradictory, because きり has already sworn that nothing followed — say 出かけたきり、帰ってこない.
Set against だけ and しか〜ない
All three can land as "only" in English, yet they pull in different directions:
- だけ — the plain, neutral "only / just": 二人だけで話した works too, but it's flatter. (See 〜だけ.)
- きり — "only" with a feeling of finality or limitation (一度きり = "once and never again"), plus the special た-form "since" use だけ simply lacks.
- しか〜ない — "only" with a negative verb and a nuance of "not as much as you'd want": 五百円しかない ("only 500 yen — not enough"). きり and しか happily combine: 五百円きりしかない.
For neutral counting, だけ is safest — コーヒーだけ飲んだ ("just drank coffee") is not コーヒーを飲んだきり ("had coffee and nothing since"). Reach for きり only when you want that "and no more / that's the last of it" weight.
The short version
- Noun + きり = "only / just," with a nuance of finality: 一度きり, 二人きり, これっきり.
- Verb た-form + きり = "ever since X — and the expected next thing never came": 出かけたきり帰ってこない.
- Sense 2 needs that missing follow-up, usually with a negative tail.
- Casual form: っきり. Compare with だけ (neutral "only") and しか〜ない ("only," not enough).
Practice it
Choose the right use of きり — 'only' or 'ever since (and no change).'
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
父が寝た＿＿＿なので私たちが交代で面倒をみています。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between きり and だけ?
Both mean 'only,' but だけ is neutral ('just this'), while きり adds a sense of finality or limit — 'only this and no more.' 一度きり stresses 'once and never again' in a way 一度だけ does not. きり also has a special た-form use that だけ lacks.
What does the た-form + きり mean?
It means 'ever since doing X — and the expected next thing never happened.' 出かけたきり帰ってこない = 'went out and hasn't come back since.' The key nuance is that an expected follow-up is missing.
Is っきり different from きり?
No — っきり is just the casual, spoken form of きり. これっきり, 一人っきり, and 二人っきり are common in conversation and mean the same as これきり, etc.
Can きり combine with しか〜ない?
Yes: 五百円きりしかない ('only 500 yen, that's all there is'). きり reinforces the 'nothing beyond this' feeling of しか〜ない.
Where 〜きり fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜まま · N3 — 〜まま means a state stays unchanged while something else happens: 電気をつけたまま寝た ('slept with the light on'). Learn た/ない/noun/adjective forms and そのまま.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜こそ — こそ emphasizes the word before it: 'precisely, exactly, the very one.' Learn 今度こそ, こちらこそ, and からこそ ('precisely because'), with examples and common mistakes.
- 〜には — Verb (dictionary form) + には states a purpose and emphasizes what's needed to achieve it: 合格するには努力が必要だ ('to pass, effort is necessary'). The は adds emphasis on top of plain purpose に, setting up a following statement of necessity.
- 〜てやる — 〜てやる has two faces: doing a favor for someone below you (the rough form of 〜てあげる) and gritty determination — 'I'll do it, just watch.' Learn both.
- 〜をはじめ — 〜をはじめ(として) names the leading example of a larger group: 日本をはじめ、アジアで人気. Learn the formation, the adnominal 〜をはじめとする, register, and common mistakes.
- 〜ばいい / 〜たらいい — 〜ばいい and 〜たらいい give advice ('you should / just have to') or express hope ('I hope it...'). Learn どうすればいい, 〜たらいいな, and how ばよかった differs.
- 〜べき — 〜べきだ means 'should' or 'ought to' — a strong, principled obligation. Learn how to form it, すべき vs するべき, the negative べきではない, and the regretful べきだった.