Doing completely or ending up doing with 〜てしまう and 〜ちゃう

Grammar: Time and Sequence » 〜てしまう

2026年05月26日

〜てしまう follows a verb in the て-form and shows that an action is completed or ends up happening. Depending on context, it can also add a feeling of regret.

Usage

The meaning depends heavily on the scene. Sometimes 〜てしまう simply means the action is finished completely. In dialogue, it often sounds like “ended up doing”. Casual speech often contracts 〜てしまう to 〜ちゃう and 〜でしまう to 〜じゃう.

Formation

Verb て-form + しまう
- 作(つく)ってしまう
- "make completely; end up making"
Verb で-form + しまう
- 読(よ)んでしまう
- "read completely; end up reading"
〜てしまう → 〜ちゃう
- 作(つく)ってしまう → 作(つく)っちゃう
- "end up making; make completely"
〜でしまう → 〜じゃう
- 読(よ)んでしまう → 読(よ)んじゃう
- "end up reading; read completely"

Completion

〜てしまう can mean that an action is completed fully.

食(た)べてしまう: eat it all; finish eating it
読(よ)んでしまう: read it through; finish reading it

In this use, the focus is on the action reaching completion. There is not necessarily any regret.

Ended Up Doing

〜てしまう often presents the action as something that happened despite the speaker’s intention.

忘(わす)れてしまった: I ended up forgetting
壊(こわ)してしまった: I ended up breaking it
やってしまった: I went and did it; I messed up

This can sound regretful or simply unintended. The speaker is looking at the action as something that has already happened and cannot be taken back.

Context Decides The Feeling

〜てしまう does not automatically mean the speaker is sad or upset. It can appear in positive, neutral, or negative contexts.

For example, 言(い)われちゃった can mean “I got told”, but the emotional tone depends on whether the speaker is happy, embarrassed, annoyed, or surprised.

Casual Contractions

In casual speech, 〜てしまう and 〜でしまう often contract.

〜てしまう → 〜ちゃう
〜てしまった → 〜ちゃった
〜でしまう → 〜じゃう
〜でしまった → 〜じゃった

作(つく)ってしまった → 作(つく)っちゃった
疲(つか)れてしまう → 疲(つか)れちゃう
読(よ)んでしまう → 読(よ)んじゃう
死(し)んでしまう → 死(し)んじゃう

ちゃう and じゃう are very common in manga dialogue and casual speech. The fuller てしまう and でしまう forms sound more neutral or written.

Related Grammar

Completing an action with 〜終わる
- Focuses directly on finishing an action, without the accident or regret nuance.
To end up being with 〜ことになる
- Describes an outcome or result that comes about at the situation level.

Examples

Want to submit a manga example for this grammar?

Ended up relying on your help with 〜てしまう

Manga panel from 名探偵コナン showing example of Doing completely or ending up doing with 〜てしまう and 〜ちゃう. — 名探偵コナン » Volume 1 » Page 9

After Kudo helps Inspector Megure solve a murder case, he helps catch the fleeing culprit.

警察官(けいさつか):: 「さあ、さっさと歩(ある)け！！」; “Come on, hurry up and walk!!”
目暮(めぐれ):: 「いやー、また君(きみ)の力(ちから)を借(か)りてしまったな、工藤(くどう)君(くん)！！」; “Man, I ended up relying on your help again, Kudo!!”

Got nervous by sitting close with 〜てしまう

Manga panel from それでも歩は寄せてくる showing example of Doing completely or ending up doing with 〜てしまう and 〜ちゃう. — それでも歩は寄せてくる » Volume 4 » Page 107

Ayumu and Urushi head to the library so Urushi can help Ayumu study for an upcoming test. The library tables are filled with studying students, so Takeru offers to let the two join him and Sakurako at the library staff desk. Urushi sits beside Ayumu and explains the material as he works through it, but she stops to make sure he’s listening.

歩(あゆむ):: 「すみません」; “Sorry.”; 「いつもより距離(きょり)が近(ちか)くて緊張(きんちょう)してしまって…」; “You're a bit closer than usual, so I got nervous...”

Gotten all warped from playing video games with 〜じゃう

Manga panel from 三ツ星カラーズ showing example of Doing completely or ending up doing with 〜てしまう and 〜ちゃう. — 三ツ星カラーズ » Volume 1 » Page 11

Sacchan tries crawling on the ground to help find the cat that’s been stealing from the area lately. Kotoha takes this opportunity to step on Sacchan’s head.

さっちゃん:: 「歪(ゆが)みすぎだよ！」; “You're way too twisted!”; 「琴(こと)ちゃんゲームばっかりやってるからそんな風(ふう)に歪(ゆが)んじゃうんでしょ！」; “It's 'cause you only ever play video games, Koto-chan, that's why you've gotten all warped like that!”