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
（っ）きり attaches to a noun (often ひとり/一人) or to a verb stem to mean something is done alone, entirely, or left in a state with nothing further happening. With verbs like 任せる or 寝る it suggests the situation continues unchanged since then. It appears in both neutral and slightly emphatic expressions.
-
母が急死した後、父が一人きりで私の世話をしてくれた。
After my mother died suddenly, my father looked after me all by himself.
-
父が寝たきりなので私たちが交代で面倒をみています。
Since our father is bedridden, we take turns looking after him.
っぱなし ppanashi
Left in an unchanged state; continues without stopping
っぱなし attaches to the masu-stem of a verb and expresses that an action or state continues without being stopped or changed, often with a nuance that it should have been dealt with, as in leaving a tap running or a light on. It can also describe continuously doing something, like standing the whole way or repeatedly breaking promises.
-
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.
-
彼どうしたのかしら。このところ約束を破りっぱなしだよ。
I wonder what's wrong with him. He keeps breaking his word these days.
（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.