ぶり・
ぶり does two unrelated jobs. After a length of time it is "for the first time in": 三年ぶり. After a verb stem or a noun, ぶり or っぷり is the way someone does something: 話しぶり, 食べっぷり.
after a length of time
I went back to my hometown for the first time in three years.
after a verb stem
The way he talks is very like his father's.
For the first time in
Length of time + ぶりに／ぶりの + noun／ぶりだ
三日ぶりに, 二年ぶりの, 半年ぶりだ. 久しぶり is the same ぶり.
The way someone does it
Verb ます-stem／noun + ぶり・っぷり
話します → 話しぶり; 仕事 → 仕事ぶり. The result is a noun. Only certain words take it.
After a length of time: for the first time in
Something happens again after a gap, and ぶり says how long the gap was. You'll hear it in conversation and read it in headlines. English says "for the first time in", "the first … in" or "it's been".
My sister and I phone each other every day, and today we talked for the first time in three days.
A short gap is fine when it feels long.
They went out in the preliminary round last year, but this year they reached the final for the first time in two years.
Tonight the whole family sat down to dinner together. The last time was New Year, so it's been six months.
久しぶり
Everyone knows this one: 久し (a long time) stands where the number goes. Politely, お久しぶりです.
Long time no see! How have you been?
Good, thanks. It's been five years, hasn't it?
Yesterday I went to the movies for the first time in ages.
The gap has to be over
ぶり is for the moment the gap ends. English "I haven't seen him for three years" is a gap still open, so it takes no ぶり.
I saw him for the first time in three years.
The gap is over: you met.
I haven't seen him for three years.
The gap is still open.
After a verb stem or a noun: the way someone does it
It names how someone talks, works, eats or lives, as it strikes the person watching. A word of praise, surprise or complaint usually comes with it.
話しぶりthe way someone talks
She speaks so calmly that you wouldn't think she was new.
仕事ぶり・働きぶりhow someone works
Even his boss is impressed by the way he works.
暮らしぶりhow someone lives
The photographs show you how people lived at the time.
活躍ぶりhow well someone is doing
The way he has played this season has been remarkable.
食べっぷりhow heartily someone eats
Everyone smiled to see that athlete tucking in so heartily.
飲みっぷりhow freely someone drinks
You can really put it away. Another one?
ぶり or っぷり?
ぶり is the neutral one, spoken and written. っぷり is the lively, spoken one. Eating and drinking are nearly always 食べっぷり and 飲みっぷり. 話しっぷり and 働きっぷり are casual versions of 話しぶり and 働きぶり.
Close neighbours
て以来N2
Counts from an event, not by length, and says what has been so ever since.
I haven't seen him once since graduation.
方N5
The plain "way of doing", on any verb, and the only one for "how to". ぶり is how a person comes across.
Please tell me how to read this kanji.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
兄は
Choose an answer to see why.
2You left your country two years ago and still haven't been back. Which do you say?
Choose an answer to see why.
3Which one fits?
この
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
何年ぶり asks how long it has been.
I wonder how many years it's been since I was last in Tokyo.
口ぶり is someone's way of talking, and what it gives away.
From the way he talks, he seems to have made up his mind already.
More sentences
The last time I saw him was at our college graduation. Last week we met again for the first time in ten years.
It last rained two weeks ago, and last night brought the first rain in two weeks.
I used to run every week but had to stop because of an injury, and today I ran five kilometers for the first time in a month.
He spoke with confidence at the meeting.
The cook looked pleased to see how heartily the children ate.
Even her coach is surprised by how much she has improved this season.