Asa dekaketakkiri, mada kaette-konai-no-yo.

He left home in the morning and still hasn't returned.

Situation 1: Takako, a junior high school student, asks her mother when her older brother will be home.

たか子： お兄ちゃんはいつ帰ってくるの？

母： さあ、朝「図書館に行く」って言って出かけたっきり、まだ帰ってこないのよ。

Takako: Oniichan-wa itsu kaette-kuru-no?

Haha: Sā, asa "toshokan-ni iku"-tte itte dekaketakkiri, mada kaette-konai-no-yo.

Takako: When will big brother be home?

Mother: Well, in the morning he said, "I'm going to the library" and left, and he still hasn't come home.

Today we will introduce some uses of きり, which is used to set limits on things. X(=verb in ta-form)+きり、Y(phrase in negative form) means that since X happened, Y has not happened yet or hasn't changed, where Y is an action or event that would be expected after X. In the above conversation, the mother's remark communicates the idea that her son has not returned home even though it is past the time he was expected back. In spoken language, っきりis often used for emphasis instead of simply きり. The pattern X(=verb in ta-form)(っ)きりです is also used as here: 彼(かれ)とは 二週間前(にしゅうかんまえ)電話(でんわ)で話(はな)したっきりです (I talked with him on the phone two weeks ago). This pattern is used to clarify that the situation has not changed since X happened.

Situation 2: Ms. Gray and her friend Ms. Yoshida are at an exhibition, standing in front of a huge picture.

グレイ： この作品を一人っきりで完成させるのは、大変だった でしょうねえ。

吉田： 描いているときは、この作品にかかりっきりで、ほかのことはほとんどできなかったらしいのよ。

Gray: Kono sakuhin-o hitorikkiri-de kansei-saseru-no-wa, taihen-datta-deshō-nē.

Yoshida: Kaite-iru toki-wa, kono sakuhin-ni kakarikkiri-de, hoka-no koto-wa hotondo dekinakatta-rashii-no-yo.

Gray: It must've been tough to finish this work all by himself!

Yoshida: I heard that he had his hands full with this picture and could do little or nothing else at that time.

Noun+きり means "only." In this pattern きり attaches to nouns of number or quantity such as 一人(ひとり)きり (only one person), 二人(ふたり)きり (only two people), 一回(いっかい)きり (only once) and これ(っ)きり(only this). Example: いまあるお金(かね)はこれっきりだ (This is all the money I have). きり also attaches to verbs in stem (pre-masu) form such as つきっきり(to constantly watch/supervise someone), かかりっきり (to have your hands full with) and 任(まか)せっきり(to leave something entirely up to someone).

Bonus Dialogue: Ms. Aoyama is asking Ms. Gray, a senior colleague, for advice about problems in her love life.

青山： 彼(かれ)は半年前(はんとしまえ)に自分探(じぶんさが)しの旅(たび)に出(で)たきり、ずっと連絡(れんらく)がないんです。一人(ひとり)きりで悩(なや)んでいてもしょうがないから、グレイさんにアドバイスをいただければと思(おも)って。

グレイ： 彼は仕事(しごと)もやめちゃったのよね。お金(かね)はどうしたの？

青山： 貸(か)してほしいって言(い)われたので、貸しました。貸すのは今回(こんかい)きりって言ったんですが。

グレイ： これまでにも彼(かれ)のためにいろいろしたんでしょう？

青山： 彼が病気(びょうき)になったときは会社(かいしゃ)も休(やす)んでつきっきりで看病(かんびょう)したんです。元気(げんき)になったら、旅に出て、それっきり。

グレイ： 何(なに)かメッセージとか、なかったの？

青山： 置き手紙(おきてがみ)に「君(きみ)の愛(あい)が重(おも)すぎる」って書(か)いてありました。ああ、やっぱり私がいけなかったんですね。どうもありがとうございました。[たちさる]

グレイ： [ひとりごと]青山(あおやま)さんの相談(そうだん)、もうこれっきりにしてほしいけど、無理(むり)だろうなあ。

Aoyama: He went traveling to do some soul-searching six months ago and I haven't heard a thing from him since. It does no good just worrying all by myself, so I thought I'd ask you for advice.

Gray: He quit his job, right? What did he do about money?

Aoyama: He said he wanted to borrow some money so I lent it to him. I said it'd be the last time I'd do that, though.

Gray: You've done a lot of things for him up to now, right?

Aoyama: When he got sick, I took days off work and did nothing but watch over him. When he recovered, he set off on a trip, and that's all.

Gray: Was there any message for you?

Aoyama: There was a note that read, "Your love is too heavy." Oh, as I thought, I must be the one to blame after all. Thank you very much. [She gets up and leaves]

Gray: [To herself] I hope that's the last advice I have to give her. But that's impossible, I suppose.