～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.
Structure
[Time span] + ぶりに
Examples
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'
• 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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