きり
- 1Only or just, limiting the scope to the stated noun, as in being alone together.Ex. 1
- 2After a past action, indicates that nothing further happened after it for the period in question, and the situation stayed that way.Ex. 2
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The noun use often marks a small group or amount with a sense of exclusiveness, as in 二人きり, 'just the two of us.' The た-form use describes an action after which something expected did not follow, and is typically followed by a negative or unchanged situation, such as まだ帰ってこない. Compared with だけ, the noun use often carries a stronger sense of being alone or limited.
Note that 〜たきり is normally followed by a clause showing that nothing further happened, often with a negative verb such as 帰ってこない.
Note that 〜たきり marks a period without follow-up, so it can appear even when the follow-up happened later (家を出たきり3年間帰ってこなかった).
Learners should remember that 二人きり suggests being alone together, not just a neutral count like 二人だけ.
- 〜たきりN3「〜たきり」 is simply 「きり」 attached to the ta-form of a verb; in this sense the two are interchangeable, both meaning that after some event nothing further happened, and the following clause is usually negative. It does not carry the meanings of 'only', 'that's all', or 'staying focused on something'.
- だけN5They are close only in the sense of limitation: 「二人きり」 can be replaced with 「二人だけ」, though 「きり」 more strongly emphasizes 'nothing more than that'. 「だけ」 also has a 'as much as possible' meaning, and 「たきり」 in the sense of 'since... never again...' cannot be replaced with 「だけ」.
- 〜しか〜ないN4Both can express 'only', but 「しか」 must take a negative predicate and carries a nuance of 'too few', while 「きり」 can take an affirmative predicate, as in 「二人きりで話す」. Also, 辞書形＋しかない means 'have no choice but to do', a usage 「きり」 does not have.
- ままN4「まま」 only indicates that a state remains unchanged, and can be followed by an ordinary affirmative action, as in 「開けたまま出かけた」; 「たきり」, by contrast, emphasizes that something expected never happened afterward, usually with a negative clause. 「まま」 also lacks the limiting sense of 'only'.
- ばかりN4「〜たきり」 means that something expected never happened afterward, while 「〜たばかり」 means having just done something, so they cannot be swapped. When attached to a noun, 「きり」 means 'only', whereas 「ばかり」 means 'nothing but' and often implies dissatisfaction; 「ばかり」 can also express an approximate number.
〜たきり is the verb use of this pattern (sense 2), while だけ and 〜しか〜ない express 'only' more generally, and the noun use of きり often adds a nuance of being alone or exclusive. まま describes a state left unchanged without stressing that nothing followed, whereas ばかり suggests 'nothing but' or 'just did.'
