～きる／きれる — Do It Completely
Attached to a verb stem, きる means to do something thoroughly to the very end or completely. It can also express reaching an extreme state ('utterly, totally'). The potential form きれる means 'be able to finish/do completely', and its negative きれない means 'can't finish' or 'too many to.'
Structure
[Verb ます-stem] + きる／きれる／きれない
Examples
マラソンを最後まで走りきった。
Marason o saigo made hashirikitta.
I ran the marathon all the way to the end.
走り (ます-stem) + きった = ran completely to the finish
この量は一人では食べきれない。
Kono ryou wa hitori de wa tabekirenai.
This amount is too much to finish eating alone.
食べ (ます-stem) + きれない = unable to finish (too much)
疲れきって、すぐに眠ってしまった。
Tsukarekitte, sugu ni nemutte shimatta.
Utterly exhausted, I fell asleep right away.
疲れ (ます-stem) + きって = reached the extreme, 'completely exhausted'
• Two senses: 'finish completely' and 'reach an extreme degree'. • きれる = potential ('can finish'); きれない = 'can't finish / too many to'. • Attaches to the ます-stem, not the dictionary form.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～きる／きれる is tested against.
vs ～てしまう
きる stresses carrying an action through to full completion or an extreme degree, while てしまう emphasizes completion often with regret, finality, or an unintended result.
vs ～ぬく
きる means finishing thoroughly or reaching an extreme, whereas ぬく stresses persevering through hardship to the end ('endure and complete despite difficulty').
More verb forms
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