JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 22

～切れない

Be unable to finish all of something

You’ll be able to say that an amount or task is too great to complete fully.

Illustration of the scene described by There are too many stars in the sky; I cannot count them all.
Read it first

空そらに星ほしが多おおすぎて、全部ぜんぶは数かぞえ切きれません。

sora ni hoshi ga oosugite, zenbu wa kazoekiremasen.

What do you think this sentence means?

There are too many stars in the sky; I cannot count them all.

Why it means that

Unable to finish or exhaust something completely

～切きれない is the potential negative form of ～切きる. It expresses that an amount is so vast that one cannot finish it to the end ("cannot finish eating").

Examples

本ほんが多おおすぎて、一年いちねんでは読よみ切きれない。

hon ga oosugite, ichinen de wa yomikirenai.

There are too many books; I can't read them all in a year.

大おおきなピザだったので、二人ふたりでは食たべ切きれなかった。

ookina piza datta node, futari de wa tabekirenakatta.

It was a big pizza, so even the two of us couldn't finish it.

How it is built

Attach 切れない to the masu-stem

Attach 切きれない directly to the verb stem (masu-stem). Common combinations include 食たべ切きれない (cannot eat all), 数かぞえ切きれない (innumerable), and 使つかい切きれない (cannot spend/use all).

verb (masu-stem)+切れない
Example

夜空よぞらを見上みあげると、数かぞえ切きれないほどの星ほしが輝かがやいていた。

yozora o miageru to, kazoekirenai hodo no hoshi ga kagayaite ita.

Looking up at the night sky, countless stars were shining.

Compare

～切らない vs ～切れない

～切らない is the plain negative of ～切る: you don’t finish it, often by choice. ～切れない is the potential negative: you can’t finish it, however hard you try.

  • ～切らない, don't finish

    今日きょうは全部ぜんぶ食たべ切きらないで、半分はんぶん残のこしておこう。

    kyou wa zenbu tabekiranaide, hanbun nokoshite okou.

    I won't eat it all today; I'll save half.

    A choice.

  • ～切れない, can't finish

    今日きょうは全部ぜんぶ食たべ切きれないから、半分はんぶん残のこしておこう。

    kyou wa zenbu tabekirenai kara, hanbun nokoshite okou.

    I can't eat it all today, so I'll save half.

    Not possible.

Examples

買かい物ものをしすぎて、両手りょうてでも荷物にもつを持もち切きれない。

kaimono o shisugite, ryoute de mo nimotsu o mochikirenai.

I bought too much, so I can’t carry all the bags even with both hands.

この単語帳たんごちょうは言葉ことばが多おおすぎて、一週間いっしゅうかんでは覚おぼえ切きれない。

kono tangochou wa kotoba ga oosugite, isshuukan de wa oboekirenai.

This vocabulary book has too many words to memorize them all in one week.

実家じっかから野菜やさいがたくさん送おくられてきて、二人ふたりでは使つかい切きれない。

jikka kara yasai ga takusan okurarete kite, futari de wa tsukaikirenai.

My parents sent so many vegetables from home that the two of us can’t use them all up.

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