adverbial N3 common casualpolitewritten
結局 — in the end / after all
結局 ・ けっきょく
Meaning
- in the end / after all / ultimately — the net upshot once everything plays out
Key sentence
結局、彼は来なかった。
In the end, he didn't come.
Usage
Sums up a conclusion after a process of options or twists; often sentence-initial.
Examples
色々考えたが、結局買わなかった。
I thought it over, but in the end I didn't buy it.
結局、何も変わらなかった。
Ultimately, nothing changed.
Easily confused with
Notes
- 結局のところ = 'when all is said and done / ultimately' — a slightly more emphatic set phrase.
See 結局 in real sentences
Jengo shows 結局 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.