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JLPT N3Time Expressions

～ぶりに— For The First Time In

Attaches to a length of time to say that something happened again after that long an interval — 'for the first time in (X).' It highlights that a considerable amount of time had passed since the last occurrence. Commonly used for reunions, returns, and long-awaited events.

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Pro lessonUNIT 112 · TIME EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Time span] + ぶりに

Examples · 例文

  • 十年ぶりに、高校の友達に会った。

    Juunen buri ni, koukou no tomodachi ni atta.

    I met my high school friend for the first time in ten years.

    十年 (ten years) + ぶりに marks the long gap since the last meeting

  • 三日ぶりに雨がやんで、青空が見えた。

    Mikka buri ni ame ga yande, aozora ga mieta.

    The rain stopped for the first time in three days, and blue sky appeared.

    三日 (three days) + ぶりに shows an interval before the event recurred

  • 久しぶりに、ゆっくり休めた。

    Hisashiburi ni, yukkuri yasumeta.

    I got to rest properly for the first time in a long while.

    久し + ぶりに, the set phrase 久しぶり meaning 'after a long time'

Usage notes · 注意

  • Attaches to a duration (数字＋time unit) or to 久し for the idiom 久しぶり.
  • Implies the interval felt long or noteworthy; not used for short, routine gaps.
  • Register: neutral; extremely common in daily conversation.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～ぶりに is tested against.

vsぶりの

ぶりに modifies a verb ('happened for the first time in ~'); ぶりの modifies a noun (十年ぶりの再会 = 'a reunion after ten years').

vs以来 (いらい)

以来 means 'ever since (a specific point),' focusing on the starting event; ぶりに focuses on the length of the gap that has elapsed.

More time expressions

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