たり

Japanese

Etymology 1

From the 終(しゅう)止(し)形(けい) (shūshikei, “terminal form”) of the classical tari below.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) たり [tàrí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ta̠ɾʲi]

Particle

たり • (tari) 

1. used to list actions or states, possibly implying the existence of other similar actions or states

   テレビを見(み)たり、パソコンをしたりしている。

   Terebi o mitari, pasokon o shitari shite iru.

   I'm (doing things like) watching TV and playing on the computer.

2. used to list actions or states that occur in sequence
   • 1914, 夏目漱石 [Natsume Sōseki], chapter 33, in こゝろ [Kokoro], 下 先生と遺書 [Sensei's Testament]:

     奥(おく)さんは黙(だま)って室(へや)の真中(まなか)に立(た)っている私(わたくし)を見(み)て、気(き)の毒(どく)そうに外套(がいとう)を脱(ぬ)がせてくれたり、日本服(にっぽんふく)を着(き)せてくれたりしました。

     Oku-san wa damatte heya no manaka ni tatte iru watakushi o mite, ki no doku sō ni gaitō o nugasete kuretari, nipponfuku o kisete kuretari shimashita.

     Oku-san looked silently at me standing in the middle of the room, and pitifully took my coat off for me and changed me into my Japanese clothing.

Usage notes

• Attaches to the て (te)-stem of verbs, adjectives, and nominals, in the same way as the past/perfective ending た (ta). The result is segmentally identical to the past/perfective form + り (ri).
• This word is morphologically an inflectional suffix. It is classified as a 助(じょ)詞(し) (joshi, “auxiliary word, particle”) in traditional Japanese grammar.

Etymology 2

/-te ari/ → /-tari/

Contraction of て (te), the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of the classical perfective つ (tsu), and あり (to be; to exist).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ta̠ɾʲi]

Suffix

たり • (-tari) ^†-ri

1. (Classical Japanese) Used to form the stative of verbs.

   時(とき)は来(き)たり！

   Toki wa kitari!

   It's time!

Usage notes

This word is morphologically an inflectional suffix. It is classified as a 助(じょ)動(どう)詞(し) (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar.

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "たり" (ラ行変格活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	たら		tara
Continuative (連用形)	たり		tari
Terminal (終止形)	たり		tari
Attributive (連体形)	たる		taru
Realis (已然形)	たれ		tare
Imperative (命令形)	たれ		tare

Derived terms

• た (-ta, past/perfective suffix)
• たら (conditional suffix)
• -たり (above)

Etymology 3

/-to ari/ → /-tari/

Contraction of the case particle と (to) and the verb あり (to be; to exist).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ta̠ɾʲi]

Verb

たり • (tari) ^†-ri

1. (Classical Japanese or archaic) to be

   処(しょ)女(じょ)たる女(め)神(がみ)

   shojo taru megami

   virgin goddess

   一瞬(いっしゅん)たりともできない

   isshun tari to mo dekinai

   (modern language, literary) cannot do it even for a moment

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "たり" (タリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	たら		tara
Continuative (連用形)	と[1] たり[2]		to tari
Terminal (終止形)	たり		tari
Attributive (連体形)	たる		taru
Realis (已然形)	たれ		tare
Imperative (命令形)	たれ		tare
Key constructions
Negative	たらず		tarazu
Contrasting conjunction	たれど		taredo
Causal conjunction	たれば		tareba
Conditional conjunction	たらば		taraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	たりき		tariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	たりけり		tarikeri
Adverbial	と		to

^[1]Without auxiliary verb.
^[2]With auxiliary verb.

In modern Japanese, the continuative と (to) or として (to shite) and the adnominal たる (taru) are used with the so-called -tari adjectives.