GRAMMAR DETAIL

〜きる

to do completely · to finish doing

Indicates completing an action or amount fully, with nothing left over.

Examples

長い小説を一晩で読み切った。

I read the entire long novel in one night.

彼女は最後まで自分の考えを言い切った。

She stated her own views fully and firmly to the very end.

出された料理を一人で食べ切った。

By myself, I ate all the food that was served.

Structure: Add 切る（きる） to a verb's ます stem to express carrying an action through or dealing with the whole amount.
Basic usage: 長い小説を一晩で読み切った。 means reading the entire novel in one night.

Inability to finish and not finishing
- 食べ切れない negates the ability to eat everything, while 食べ切らない negates eating everything. Distinguish the negative forms of 切れる and 切る.
Meaning with different verbs
- 読み切る means reading through to the end, while 言い切る can mean finishing what one says or making a firm assertion. The focus of completeness depends on the verb and context.