Yuka食べ切る vs 食べ尽くす, 飲み切る vs 飲み尽くす — both mean finishing food or drink, but with subtly different feelings. Let's compare these useful verb compounds!
ReiThese verb compounds come up a lot in everyday Japanese — at restaurants, at home, anywhere food is involved. The difference is all about emphasis and nuance!
At a Glance
| Compound | Reading | Meaning | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べ切る / 飲み切る | たべきる / のみきる | To finish eating/drinking completely | Emphasis on finishing — consuming all that was given/available |
| 食べ尽くす / 飲み尽くす | たべつくす / のみつくす | To consume every last bit | Emphasis on thoroughness — nothing left at all; often implies large amount |
〜切る (きる) — To Finish Completely
The suffix 〜切る attached to a verb means to do it completely, to see it through to the end. With food verbs:
- 食べ切る — to finish eating (everything on the plate/portion)
- 飲み切る — to drink up (finish the drink/bottle)
- 使い切る — to use up completely
- 売り切れ — sold out (completely sold)
Yuka残さず全部食べ切った！
I finished everything without leaving any!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| このお弁当、食べ切れるかな。 | I wonder if I can finish this bento box. |
| ペットボトルを一気に飲み切った。 | I drank the entire plastic bottle in one go. |
| 食材を無駄にしないように食べ切る。 | Finish the food to avoid wasting ingredients. |
〜尽くす (つくす) — To Exhaust Completely
The suffix 〜尽くす means to exhaust completely, to use every last bit. It's stronger and more dramatic than 〜切る — implying that absolutely nothing is left.
- 食べ尽くす — to eat everything up (nothing remaining)
- 飲み尽くす — to drink every last drop
- 使い尽くす — to use up every last bit
- 語り尽くす — to talk about something exhaustively
Rei〜尽くす has a more dramatic feel. 食べ尽くした sounds like you devoured everything; 食べ切った sounds like you dutifully finished your portion. In daily life, 食べ切る is more common for regular meals; 食べ尽くす appears more in dramatic or extreme contexts.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| バイキングの料理を食べ尽くした。 | I ate up every last thing at the buffet. |
| 冷蔵庫の食材を全部食べ尽くした。 | I used up every last ingredient in the fridge. |
| ビールを飲み尽くして一本も残らなかった。 | I drank every last beer — not a single one left. |
Key Differences
| 〜切る | 〜尽くす | |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Completion — finished what was there | Total exhaustion — nothing left at all |
| Drama level | Neutral | More emphatic/dramatic |
| Everyday use | Very common | More for emphasis or large quantities |
| Example (food) | お弁当を食べ切った | 冷蔵庫を食べ尽くした |
Other Useful 〜切る and 〜尽くす Compounds
| 〜切る version | 〜尽くす version | |
|---|---|---|
| Use up | 使い切る | 使い尽くす |
| Sell out | 売り切れる | — |
| Exhaust ideas | 言い切る (assert firmly) | 言い尽くす (say it all) |
| Read to the end | 読み切る | 読み尽くす |
Quick Quiz
Choose 切る or 尽くす:
- お腹いっぱいだけど、なんとか食べ___た。(I was full but somehow managed to finish.) → 切っ
- バイキングで全種類食べ___した！(I ate every single dish at the buffet!) → 尽く
- ペットボトルを飲み___た。(I finished the bottle.) → 切っ
- 倉庫の在庫を売り___た。(We sold out all the inventory.) → 切っ (売り切れ)
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