〜けり (詠嘆) (〜けり (えいたん)): You use this when you suddenly notice something. It's like saying, "Oh, I just realized that!"

Dictionary

〜けり (詠嘆)

You use this when you suddenly notice something. It's like saying, "Oh, I just realized that!"

KMT9FormalStandardClassical InflectionWritten OnlyClassicalClassical Past Tense And HearsayGrammar

Verb [stem] + けりPrimary

い-Adjective [stem] + かりけり

You use this when you suddenly notice something. It's like saying, "Oh, I just realized that!"

山の端に月のかたぶく見れば、夜も更けにけり。

Seeing the moon setting over the mountain ridge, I realize now that the night has grown deep.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialNature & Environment Literature

桜の花はかくも美しかりけり。

I see now that the cherry blossoms are so beautiful!

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialNature & Environment Art & Design

長年友と思いし人は、まことの友ならざりけり。

The person I thought for many years to be a friend, I now realize, was no true friend at all.

FormalPastNegativeSentence EndingEvidentialEmotions & Psychology Family & Relationships

ふと見れば、庭に咲きける白菊の花よ。

When I glanced over, I saw the white chrysanthemums that had bloomed in the garden!

NeutralPastAffirmativePrenominalEvidentialNature & Environment Literature

故郷を離れてみて、初めてそのありがたさを知りけり。

Only after leaving my hometown did I finally realize how precious it was.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialFamily & Relationships Emotions & Psychology

This word shows you are surprised. You are also impressed. You just noticed something new. It is like saying, "Wow!" or "Oh, I see!" It is not just saying a fact. It adds strong feeling to what you say.

This is different from another "keri" that means "I heard that...". It is also different from "ki". "Ki" is for things you saw yourself. This "keri" is about things you just noticed.

Don't use this when you talk every day. For example, don't say "I just realized it was raining, keri." This word is for old stories or poems.

Often confused with(1)

〜けり (伝聞過去)

This means you heard about something that happened in the past. You did not see it yourself. It is like saying 'I heard that...' or 'people say that...'.

Contrasts with(2)

〜き / 〜し

This is an old way to talk about the past. You use it when you saw or felt something happen yourself. It is like saying 'I saw it' or 'I felt it'.

〜たり (完了 / 存続)

This grammar shows that an action is finished. It tells you something has been completed.

Verb stem form

This is a special form of a verb. You use it to join verbs together. You can also use it to make a noun from a verb.

た形

This shows an action finished in the past. It also shows something that was true before now.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

Dictionary

〜けり (詠嘆)

You use this when you suddenly notice something. It's like saying, "Oh, I just realized that!"

KMT9FormalStandardClassical InflectionWritten OnlyClassicalClassical Past Tense And HearsayGrammar

Verb [stem] + けりPrimary

い-Adjective [stem] + かりけり

You use this when you suddenly notice something. It's like saying, "Oh, I just realized that!"

山の端に月のかたぶく見れば、夜も更けにけり。

Seeing the moon setting over the mountain ridge, I realize now that the night has grown deep.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialNature & Environment Literature

桜の花はかくも美しかりけり。

I see now that the cherry blossoms are so beautiful!

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialNature & Environment Art & Design

長年友と思いし人は、まことの友ならざりけり。

The person I thought for many years to be a friend, I now realize, was no true friend at all.

FormalPastNegativeSentence EndingEvidentialEmotions & Psychology Family & Relationships

ふと見れば、庭に咲きける白菊の花よ。

When I glanced over, I saw the white chrysanthemums that had bloomed in the garden!

NeutralPastAffirmativePrenominalEvidentialNature & Environment Literature

故郷を離れてみて、初めてそのありがたさを知りけり。

Only after leaving my hometown did I finally realize how precious it was.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingEvidentialFamily & Relationships Emotions & Psychology

This is different from another "keri" that means "I heard that...". It is also different from "ki". "Ki" is for things you saw yourself. This "keri" is about things you just noticed.

Don't use this when you talk every day. For example, don't say "I just realized it was raining, keri." This word is for old stories or poems.

Often confused with(1)

〜けり (伝聞過去)

This means you heard about something that happened in the past. You did not see it yourself. It is like saying 'I heard that...' or 'people say that...'.

Contrasts with(2)

〜き / 〜し

This is an old way to talk about the past. You use it when you saw or felt something happen yourself. It is like saying 'I saw it' or 'I felt it'.

〜たり (完了 / 存続)

This grammar shows that an action is finished. It tells you something has been completed.

Verb stem form

This is a special form of a verb. You use it to join verbs together. You can also use it to make a noun from a verb.

た形

This shows an action finished in the past. It also shows something that was true before now.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

〜けり (詠嘆)

Patterns2

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with3

Often confused with(1)

Contrasts with(2)

Prerequisites2

Track your mastery

〜けり (詠嘆)

Patterns2

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with3

Often confused with(1)

Contrasts with(2)

Prerequisites2

Track your mastery