JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 2

～ぶりに

For the first time in a stated period

You’ll be able to say how long it has been since you last did or experienced something.

Illustration of the scene described by For the first time in a year, I went fishing together with my grandfather.

Read it first

一年いちねんぶりに、祖父そふと一緒いっしょに釣つりをしました。

ichinen buri ni, sofu to issho ni tsuri o shimashita.

What do you think this sentence means?

For the first time in a year, I went fishing together with my grandfather.

Why it means that

For the first time in a period

～ぶりに means “for the first time in [a period].” It shows the interval since the previous occurrence. Put a length of time before it, such as 一年いちねん or 三日みっか; 久ひさしぶりに means “for the first time in a long while.”

Examples

三日みっかぶりに、お風呂ふろに入はいりました。

mikka buri ni, ofuro ni hairimashita.

I took a bath for the first time in three days.

五年ごねんぶりに、ふるさとへ帰かえりました。

gonen buri ni, furusato e kaerimashita.

I went back to my hometown for the first time in five years.

How it is built

Put the interval before ぶりに

Attach ぶりに to a period of time. The main clause is the event happening again after that interval. 久ひさしぶりに is useful when the exact length is not important.

Time period+ぶりに+event happens again

Example

久ひさしぶりに映画えいがを見みに行いきました。

hisashiburi ni eiga o mi ni ikimashita.

I went to see a movie for the first time in a while.

Examples

三年さんねんぶりに、国くにの家族かぞくに会あいました。

sannen buri ni, kuni no kazoku ni aimashita.

I saw my family back home for the first time in three years.

久ひさしぶりに運動うんどうしたので、足あしが痛いたいです。

hisashiburi ni undou shita node, ashi ga itai desu.

My legs hurt because I exercised for the first time in a long while.

東京とうきょうで、四年よねんぶりに雪ゆきが十じゅっセンチ以上いじょう積つもりました。

toukyou de, yonen buri ni yuki ga jussenchi ijou tsumorimashita.

In Tokyo, more than ten centimeters of snow piled up for the first time in four years.

7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.