〜きり: 'Only' / 'Ever Since (and No Change)'
What it means
きり has a single core idea — "that's it, nothing beyond" — but it shows up in two clearly different patterns.
Sense 1 — noun + きり = "only, just." It limits a quantity, a time, or a group to exactly that much:
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.
Sense 2 — verb (た-form) + きり = "ever since X, and then nothing." This describes an action after which the expected follow-up never came:
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.
How to form it
| 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) |
Note that きり often becomes っきり in casual speech (一人っきり, これっきり) — same meaning, just more colloquial.
More examples
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.
Sense 2 in detail: the "missing follow-up"
The た-form use is the one learners find tricky. The point isn't just "since X happened" — it's that after X, the thing you'd normally expect simply 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.)
If there's no sense of an expected-but-absent next step, きり doesn't fit — you'd just use 〜てから-style sequencing or something neutral. The unfulfilled expectation is the whole flavor.
きり vs だけ vs しか〜ない
All three can translate as "only," but they're not interchangeable:
- 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"), or the special た-form "since" use.
- 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 often combine: 五百円きりしかない.
For neutral counting, だけ is safest. Reach for きり when you want that "and no more / that's the last of it" weight.
Common mistakes
- Using the た + きり form without an "unfulfilled" follow-up. きり in sense 2 needs that missing next step. 出かけたきり、すぐ帰ってきた is wrong, because きり promises that nothing happened after. Say 出かけたきり、帰ってこない (✓).
- Treating きり as fully identical to だけ. きり adds finality ("only this, no more"). For a flat "only," だけ is more natural: コーヒーだけ飲んだ (just drank coffee) ≠ コーヒーを飲んだきり (had coffee and nothing since).
- Forgetting the た-form for sense 2. It attaches to the past plain form: 寝たきり, not 寝るきり. (寝たきり is even a fixed word for "bedridden.")
- Dropping the negative tail in sense 2. The "since" use almost always ends in a negative or "no-change" clause: …たきり、〜ない. Without it, the sentence feels unfinished.
Quick recap
- 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).
Your turn
Choose the right use of きり — 'only' or 'ever since (and no change).'
Start the 5-question drill →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.