切るComplete fully; reach an extreme
切る after a verb stem emphasizes that an action is completed in full or that a state has reached an extreme degree.
Two main uses
With an action that has a clear endpoint or limited quantity, the pattern means doing all of it: finishing a whole book, using an entire supply, or running the full course. With a state or change, it means reaching a thorough or extreme condition, such as being utterly exhausted or completely chilled.
Completion and extreme degree
The context normally makes the endpoint or degree clear.
彼は一リットルの水を一気に飲み切った。
He drank the entire liter of water in one go.
AnalyzeThe limited quantity is completely consumed.
選手たちは四十二キロのコースを全員走り切った。
All the athletes ran the full forty-two-kilometer course.
AnalyzeThe entire course provides a clear endpoint.
長い一日を終えて、彼女は疲れ切っていた。
After the long day, she was utterly exhausted.
AnalyzeHere the pattern marks an extreme state rather than the completion of a quantity.
暖房の止まった部屋は、すっかり冷え切っていた。
The room, with the heating off, had become completely cold.
AnalyzeChoose a verb with a natural endpoint
切る is not freely added to every verb. The completion reading works best when there is a whole quantity, a defined course or task, or a state that can naturally be understood as complete or extreme. Established combinations matter, so learn common compounds such as 使い切る, 読み切る, and 疲れ切る as complete units.
Completeness versus perseverance
切る centers on reaching the endpoint or exhausting the whole amount. ぬく instead draws attention to persisting through difficulty until the end.
困難が続いたが、彼女は研究を最後までやり抜いた。
Despite continuing difficulties, she persevered with the research to the very end.
AnalyzeThe obstacles make perseverance the important nuance. Using the completion pattern would shift attention toward finishing the task in full.
More examples
この小説は面白くて、一晩で読み切った。
This novel was so interesting that I finished it in one night.
Analyze残った材料を今日中に使い切りましょう。
Let's use up the remaining ingredients today.
Analyze登山者たちは最後の水を飲み切ってしまった。
The hikers ended up drinking all of their remaining water.
Analyze百枚の資料を会議の前に配り切った。
I finished handing out all one hundred copies before the meeting.
Analyze予算を年度末までに使い切る必要はない。
There is no need to use up the entire budget by the end of the fiscal year.
Analyze突然の知らせに、彼は困り切った表情をしていた。
At the sudden news, he looked completely at a loss.
Analyze