Japanese grammar
What does ～てしまう mean? Japanese grammar N4
～てしまう means end up doing ~ / finish ~ completely.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | V て + しまいます V ちゃう／じゃう (spoken contraction) |
| Romaji | ~ te shimau |
| Meaning | end up doing ~ / finish ~ completely |
Forming it
| How to form | て form + しまう: 忘れる → 忘れて → 忘れてしまう |
|---|---|
| Further conjugation | しまう is Group 1: しまいます、しまった、しまって |
| Contraction of ～てしまう | → ～ちゃう: 忘れてしまう → 忘れちゃう、食べてしまった → 食べちゃった |
| Contraction of ～でしまう | → ～じゃう: 飲んでしまう → 飲んじゃう、死んでしまった → 死んじゃった |
How to use it
Expressing regret over having accidentally done something, or emphasizing that something was completed entirely.
- Meaning 1 — REGRET, UNINTENTIONAL (the most common, usually in the past ～てしまいました): 「宿題を忘れてしまいました」(I accidentally forgot my homework). The nuance is "it's done, can't be undone, and I feel bad about it."
- Meaning 2 — COMPLETING SOMETHING ENTIRELY: 「この本を今日中に読んでしまいます」(I'll finish reading this whole book by the end of today). Here there's no regret at all, just emphasizing doing it all the way through.
- Distinguish the two meanings by context and tense: past tense + something bad → regret; future + a time limit (今日中に、1時間で) → completion.
- The contracted forms ～ちゃう／～じゃう appear densely in conversation. Rule: てしまう → ちゃう, でしまう → じゃう. Simple way to remember: whichever verb's て form becomes ～で shortens to ～じゃう.
- Because it carries a regretful nuance, this pattern is often used for a light apology or confession: 「遅れてしまって、すみません」.
Examples
電車に傘を忘れてしまいました。
I accidentally left my umbrella on the train.
弟が私のケーキを全部食べてしまいました。
My little brother ate up all of my cake.
この仕事は今日中に終わらせてしまいます。
I will finish this work completely by the end of today.
Keep in mind
- しまう is written in hiragana when functioning as an auxiliary verb.
- It can also be used for a good thing if it was unintentional: 「うれしくて、泣いてしまいました」 (I was so happy I ended up crying).
Common mistakes
-
Wrong昨日、財布をなくしてしまいます。
Yesterday I lost my wallet.
Correct昨日、財布をなくしてしまいました。
There's 昨日 (yesterday) at the start of the sentence but the verb is conjugated in the present しまいます — a clear tense mismatch. The regret meaning is almost always in the PAST since the event has already happened, so it must be しまいました.
-
Wrong友達とお酒を飲んちゃった。
I accidentally drank alcohol with my friend.
Correct友達とお酒を飲んじゃった。
A verb whose て form becomes ～んで (飲んで、読んで、遊んで) contracts to ～じゃう, not ～ちゃう. Learners often use ちゃう for everything because it sounds more familiar.
Exam tips
- The listening section uses ～ちゃった／～じゃった a lot — you must instantly recognize the base form.
- Seeing うっかり (carelessly), 間違えて (by mistake) in a sentence → the answer is usually ～てしまいました.