1.
for the first time in; after an interval of
Suffix attached to a time expression to say that something has happened for the first time after that span. Highlights the gap between the previous occurrence and the present.
2.
manner of doing; style; the way one does something
Suffix attached to a noun or a verb stem to name the observable manner in which an action is performed — how someone works, speaks, or lives. The resulting word is a noun and usually invites an evaluation of that manner.
SENSE 1 — Attaches directly to a duration (三年ぶり, 一週間ぶり). The phrase 〜ぶりに modifies a verb; 〜ぶりの modifies a following noun.
Common collocations
- 久しぶり: long time no see (idiomatic; lit. "for the first time in a long while")
- 三年ぶりに会う: meet for the first time in three years
- 一週間ぶりの晴れ: the first sunny day in a week
- 何年ぶりだろう: how many years has it been?
Usage
Use 〜ぶり when emphasizing the gap; use 〜以来 when emphasizing the starting point (去年以来 since last year). Cannot be used for spans shorter than about a day in normal speech.
SENSE 2 — Attaches to a noun or a verb stem to name a manner of acting:
- 仕事ぶり: the way one works
- 話しぶり: one's way of speaking
- 暮らしぶり: one's way of living
- 変わりぶり: the extent of a change
After some verb stems the suffix becomes っぷり, which sounds livelier and more colloquial: 飲みっぷり (the way one drinks), 食べっぷり (the way one eats), 男っぷり (a man's bearing).
The two senses are told apart by what precedes the suffix: a duration gives sense 1, a noun or verb stem gives sense 2.