～きり

How to form it

• Verb (た-form) + きり + negative / state
• Noun + きり (only)

Register: Neutral; spoken

Explanation

Says that after one action nothing further happened, and the situation has stayed the same ever since.

Often followed by a negative: 'I have not seen him since'. The state continues from that point.

Examples

1. 彼とは卒業したきり、会っていない。

   かれとはそつぎょうしたきり、あっていない。

   I haven't seen him since graduation.

2. 母は寝たきりの生活をしている。

   ははねたきりのせいかつをしている。

   My mother is bedridden.

3. 出かけたきり、彼は帰ってこない。

   でかけたきり、かれはかえってこない。

   He went out and hasn't come back since.

Compare with

• ～まま: まま keeps a state while something else happens; きり marks a single action after which nothing else happened.

Common mistakes

• Using it with a repeated action. It marks a single event.