〜きる

Completely/thoroughly

Level 3Sounds Like kiru

The auxiliary verb 〜きる (written as 〜切る) expresses that something is done to the very end, leaving nothing left, or that a state has reached its absolute peak. It is often used in its potential form 〜きれる (can finish) or 〜きれない (cannot finish).

How It Works

The pattern 〜きる is a versatile tool for adding emphasis to completion. It has three primary nuances:

  • Thorough Completion: Doing an action until there is nothing left. For example, 食べきる（たべきる） means 'to eat every last bit.'
  • Extreme State: Reaching the limit of a physical or mental state. Common examples include 疲れきる（つかれきる） (to be completely exhausted) or 困りきる（こまりきる） (to be at a total loss).
  • Decisiveness: Doing something with finality or certainty. 言いきる（いいきる） means 'to declare/state decisively.'

Comparison with 〜ぬく:
While both patterns indicate completion, 〜きる focuses on the result (100% finished/nothing left), whereas 〜ぬく emphasizes the process and the perseverance required to overcome difficulties until the end (e.g., 走りぬく（はしりぬく） - to run the whole way despite the struggle).

Morphology:
To form this, take the ます-stem of a verb and add きる. Regardless of the original verb type, the resulting compound verb conjugates as a Godan (Group 1) verb.
Example: 食べる（たべる） (Ichidan) → 食べきる（たべきる） (Godan) → 食べきった / 食べきります。

Potential Forms:
The potential forms are extremely common:

  • 〜きれる: Can finish/complete.
  • 〜きれない: Cannot finish (usually because the amount is too large or the emotion is too strong).

Examples (5)

  1. こんなにたくさんの料理は、一人では食べきれません。

    I cannot finish this much food by myself.

    Word by Word: This much many food, as for one person, cannot finish eating.

    Uses the negative potential form 〜きれない to show that the task of eating is too large to complete.

  2. 彼は「絶対に成功させる」と言い切った。

    He declared decisively, 'I will definitely make it a success.'

    Word by Word: He 'absolutely will make succeed' (quote) said-completely.

    Here, 〜きる adds a nuance of finality and confidence to the verb 'to say'.

  3. マラソンを最後まで走りきって、とても達成感がある。

    I ran the marathon all the way to the end and have a great sense of accomplishment.

    Word by Word: Marathon until the end ran-completely, very accomplishment-feeling exists.

    Emphasizes reaching the physical finish line and completing the entire distance.

  4. 信じきっていた友人に嘘をつかれた。

    I was lied to by a friend I completely trusted.

    Word by Word: Trusted-completely friend by, lie was told.

    Shows that the state of 'trusting' was at its absolute maximum (100% trust).

  5. 一晩中働いて、彼は疲れきっている。

    Having worked all night, he is completely exhausted.

    Word by Word: All night worked, he is tired-completely.

    Used with a state-of-being verb to show the person has reached their physical limit.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 〜きる with 〜終わる for simple completion.

    宿題を書ききった。
    宿題を書き終わった。

    〜終わる simply means the action stopped. 〜きる implies you exhausted the task or did it with great intensity. For normal homework, 〜終わる is more natural unless you are emphasizing the struggle of finishing a massive amount.

  • Using 〜きる with involuntary actions like 'dying'.

    彼は死にきった。
    彼は死んだ。

    〜きる is generally used for actions that have a deliberate end point or states that can reach a peak. You cannot 'die completely' in Japanese; it is a binary state.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

〜きるLevel 3Completely/thoroughly

Learn This First

To understand 〜きる, you must first know how to conjugate verbs into their stem form (ます-form stem). It is also helpful to understand other auxiliary verbs that attach to stems to modify the meaning of an action, specifically those related to completion.

Words in This Pattern

きる