JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 22

～切る

Carry an action completely through to the end

You’ll be able to emphasize full completion, exhaustion, or doing something without leaving any remainder.

Illustration of the scene described by We hiked the steep mountain trail all the way to the end together.
Read it first

険けわしい山道やまみちを最後さいごまでみんなで登のぼり切きった。

kewashii yamamichi o saigo made minna de noborikitta.

What do you think this sentence means?

We hiked the steep mountain trail all the way to the end together.

Why it means that

Carry an action through to the very end

Attach 切きる to the verb stem to express carrying an action all the way through to completion without giving up ("do all the way through", "finish completely").

Examples

大おおきなペットボトルの水みずを飲のみ切きった。

ookina petto botoru no mizu o nomikitta.

I drank the whole big bottle of water.

一日中いちにちじゅう働はたらいて、疲つかれ切きっている。

ichinichijuu hataraite, tsukarekitte iru.

I worked all day and I am completely exhausted.

How it is built

Attach 切る to the masu-stem

Attach 切きる directly to the verb stem (masu-stem). It conjugates as a godan verb (切きります, 切きった, 切きらない). Common compounds include 走はしり切きる, 使つかい切きる, 読よみ切きる, and 疲つかれ切きる (exhausted).

verb (masu-stem)+切る
Example

今月こんげつのお小遣こづかいを給料日きゅうりょうび前まえに使つかい切きってしまった。

kongetsu no okozukai o kyuuryoubi mae ni tsukaikitte shimatta.

I spent all of this month's allowance completely before payday.

Compare

～終わる vs ～切る

～終わる simply says an action is finished. ～切る stresses doing it all the way through, with nothing left over or with real effort.

  • ～終わる, finish doing

    長ながい小説しょうせつを読よみ終おわった。

    nagai shousetsu o yomiowatta.

    I finished reading the long novel.

    Just says it is done.

  • ～切る, do all the way through

    長ながい小説しょうせつを読よみ切きった。

    nagai shousetsu o yomikitta.

    I read the long novel all the way through.

    Stresses getting through the whole thing.

Examples

寒さむい中なかで一時間いちじかんもバスを待まっていたので、体からだが冷ひえ切きってしまった。

samui naka de ichijikan mo basu o matte ita node, karada ga hiekitte shimatta.

I waited for the bus in the cold for a whole hour, so I got chilled to the bone.

祖父そふは八十歳はちじゅっさいで、十じゅっキロの海うみを泳およぎ切きった。

sofu wa hachijussai de, jukkiro no umi o oyogikitta.

At the age of eighty, my grandfather swam ten kilometers of open sea all the way through.

三さんか月げつも雨あめが降ふらず、畑はたけの土つちは乾かわき切きっている。

sankagetsu mo ame ga furazu, hatake no tsuchi wa kawakikitte iru.

It hasn’t rained for three months, and the soil in the fields is completely dry.

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