Possibility and difficulty
～きる / ～きれない
do completely; finish; cannot ... all the way
AI-written, reviewed by AI (ChatGPT)
How to form it
- Verb (ます-stem) + 切る (きる)
- Verb (ます-stem) + 切れない (cannot do completely)
Register: Neutral
Explanation
Shows that an action is carried through to the end or to the limit. The negative 切れない says it cannot be completed or fully done.
Can express finishing something up (使い切る), reaching an extreme state (疲れ切る), or having a strong, firm feeling (信じ切る).
Examples
彼は力を出し切って走った。
かれはちからをだしきってはしった。
He ran, giving it everything he had.
一日で読み切れる量ではない。
いちにちでよみきれるりょうではない。
It is not an amount that can be read in one day.
疲れ切って、すぐに寝てしまった。
つかれきって、すぐにねてしまった。
I was completely exhausted and went straight to sleep.
Compare with
- ～っぱなし: っぱなし is a state left as it is; きる is an action carried through to its end.
Common mistakes
- Writing 切る with the meaning 'to cut' here. In this use the kanji only marks completion.