Kanji 独 single, alone, spontaneously Related words 一人ひとり っきり Almost identical in meaning; 一人っきり has a geminated っ , which can sound slightly more emphatic or colloquial. Both are interchangeable in most contexts.
一人ひとり Means 'one person' or 'alone', but without the strong emphasis on being completely alone that きり adds. 一人きり stresses the absence of others more strongly.
Written forms 一人ひとり きり
Standard kanji-kana spelling; 一人 is the usual way to write 'one person'.
独ひと りきり
Emphasizes solitude or aloneness; 独り carries a nuance of 'alone' rather than just 'one person'.
一人ひとり 切き り
Less common kanji spelling using 切り ; きり is more often written in kana.
独ひと り 切き り
Rare combination of 独り and 切り ; both kanji are uncommon in this word.
1ひと 人り きり
Numeral spelling; sometimes used in informal writing or for brevity.
1ひと 人り 切き り
Numeral plus 切り ; very rare.
Etymology Compound of 一人 (ひとり , 'one person') and きり , a suffix meaning 'only' or 'just', derived from the verb 切る (きる , 'to cut'), implying a limit or boundary. The combination emphasizes being limited to just one person.
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