How to tell them apart
きり limits a quantity or marks a final occurrence, while っぱなし describes an action or state that continues without stopping or is left in some ongoing condition. The core test is whether you are counting items or sealing off an event versus describing something that keeps going: これっきり means this is the last time, whereas 鳴りっぱなし means the phone keeps ringing. Swapping them is unnatural because きり does not convey continuous action and っぱなし does not express a strict numerical limit.
- （っ）きり Use きり when you want to say only this much or this is the last time.
- っぱなし Use っぱなし when an action keeps going or something is left in an ongoing state.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| （っ）きり kiri | solely; by oneself; once done, remaining that way | N2 |
| っぱなし ppanashi | Left in an unchanged state; continues without stopping | N3 |
（っ）きり kiri
solely; by oneself; once done, remaining that way
The suffix (っ)きり expresses that something is limited to one thing or person, or that someone is completely absorbed in one activity or left in a continuing state. It follows nouns, as in 一人きり and 一人っきり where the small っ is optional, and the masu stem of verbs, as in 持ちきり or かかりきり. Forms like 寝たきり are fixed lexicalized expressions rather than a freely productive pattern, and the colloquial 一人っきり fits casual style rather than stiff formal writing.
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社内はそのニュースのことで持ちきりだった。
They talked about nothing but the news in the company.
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彼は家の中で一人っきりだった。
He was all alone in the house.
っぱなし ppanashi
Left in an unchanged state; continues without stopping
っぱなし describes an action left unfinished or a resulting state left unchanged, often with a sense that it continues longer than desired or was left carelessly. It attaches to the masu stem of a verb, as in 開けっぱなし or 立ちっぱなし, and is also written っ放し, and it is often followed by にする or だ to describe the ongoing state. It is common in everyday conversation to complain or give warnings, and it usually carries a negative nuance, so avoid using it for neutral continuing actions.
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夕べドアを開けっ放しにしたのは君ですか。
Was it you that left the door open last night?
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水道の水がちょろちょろと出っぱなしで困ってるんだよ。
It's a problem that the tap keeps leaking.
（っ）きり and っぱなし are JLPT N3–N2 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.