modality N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜ずじまい — ended up not ~ing
〜ずじまい ・ ずじまい
Builds on ない形
Meaning
- ended up never ~ing — a planned or hoped-for action that, with a tinge of regret, never came about
Key sentence
忙しくて、結局彼に会わずじまいだった。
I was busy, and in the end I never got to see him.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb ない-stem (drop ない) + ずじまい; する → せずじまい | V-ず + じまい | 読まずじまい / せずじまい |
Examples
借りた本を一ページも読まずじまいで返した。
I returned the book I'd borrowed without ever reading a single page.
言いたかったお礼も、言えずじまいになってしまった。
The thanks I'd wanted to give ended up never being said.
旅行の計画は立てたが、結局行かずじまいだった。
We made travel plans, but in the end we never went.
When you can't use it
- する becomes せずじまい, not ✗しずじまい. The pattern implies regret over something that did NOT happen — use it only for actions you intended or wished to carry out, not for a neutral 'didn't do.'
Easily confused with
〜そびれる 〜そびれる focuses on losing the chance or timing to act (言いそびれる 'miss my chance to say'). ずじまい names the final outcome — that the act, despite intent, ultimately never happened at all, with regret. 〜ずに ずに is the plain 'without ~ing' linking two clauses, with no emotional colour. ずじまい closes a situation: 'it ended up never happening,' carrying regret and finality.
See 〜ずじまい in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ずじまい the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.