All JLPT grammar
N2

～たきり

Express 'since then' or 'after'; used to indicate that an action occurred once and has not been repeated or that a state has continued since a certain event or time.

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At a glance

～たきり means "did something once and then nothing more since". It is used when an action happened and the expected next thing has not happened since.

Verb た-form + きり、～ない
Verb た-form + きりだ／きりです

父ちちは朝あさ出でかけたきり、まだ帰かえってこない。 My father went out in the morning and still hasn't come back.

How to form it

Attach きり to the た-form of the verb:

Verb group Dictionary form た-form + きり
う-verb 行いく 行いった 行いったきり
う-verb 飲のむ 飲のんだ 飲のんだきり
る-verb 出でる 出でた 出でたきり
する する した したきり
来くる 来くる 来きた 来きたきり

In casual speech, ～たっきり is also common: 行いったっきり.

Examples

  • 彼かれは会社かいしゃを辞やめたきり、連絡れんらくがない。

    Ever since he quit the company, there's been no contact.

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The rest of the lesson

When to use it, common mistakes, nuances and a quick check, with spaced repetition to make it stick.

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