Expresses a change of state that occurs naturally, without the subject's direct volition. Often describes changes over time, seasonal changes, or changes resulting from external factors. Contrast with 〜くします/〜にします which expresses deliberate, volitional change. In polite speech, なります is standard; plain form is なる.

Expresses deliberate change brought about by someone's volition. The subject (often the speaker) actively causes the change. Contrast with 〜くなります/〜になります which describes natural or spontaneous change. Also used when making a choice or decision (e.g. ordering at a restaurant: コーヒーにします).

Expresses that an action was completed only a short time ago from the speaker's subjective perspective. The action may not be objectively recent, but the speaker feels it is. Unlike 〜たところ, it does not describe what happened as a result of doing the action. Attaches to nouns with ばかりの + N (e.g. 生まれたばかりの赤ちゃん).

Describes a gradual change over time — either gaining an ability/habit (affirmative) or losing one (negative). The change is typically not instantaneous but happens over a period. Often used with 〜ようになりました to mark the state after change has occurred. For potential verbs, use 〜られるようになります (e.g. 話せるようになりました 'became able to speak').

Two main uses: (1) Completion — the action is fully finished (e.g. 全部食べてしまった 'ate it all'). (2) Regret or unintended result — something happened despite not wanting it to, or the speaker is expressing regret (e.g. 財布を忘れてしまった 'unfortunately forgot my wallet'). In casual speech, てしまう contracts to ちゃう (after て) or じゃう (after で). Context determines which meaning applies.

Expresses the beginning of an action or process. The focus is on the onset phase. Attaches to the masu-stem of volitional verbs. Not used with instantaneous verbs (e.g. not 死にはじめる). For sudden, involuntary actions, 〜だす is preferred (e.g. 泣きだす 'burst into tears'). For natural phenomena beginning, 〜だす is also common (e.g. 雨が降りだす 'it starts raining').

Expresses the completion of an action. Attaches to the masu-stem of volitional verbs. Often used when the action is completed as planned or expected. For unintended or regretful completion, 〜てしまう is more appropriate. Can be used with a wide range of action verbs (e.g. 食べおわる, 読みおわる, 書きおわる).

Expresses the sudden, often involuntary onset of an action. More abrupt and dramatic than 〜はじめる. Commonly used with emotional or physiological verbs: 泣きだす (burst into tears), 笑いだす (burst out laughing), 怒りだす (suddenly get angry), 走りだす (break into a run), 降りだす (start raining/snowing). The action often feels spontaneous and uncontrolled.

Used to report that upon doing something, a particular result or discovery followed. The focus is on timing — what happened at the moment or shortly after completing an action. Often used in the pattern 〜たところ、〜た (when I did X, Y happened). Different from 〜たばかり: たところ functions as a temporal connector leading to a result, while たばかり simply states recency. たところ is more objective and immediate.

Expresses that something is a natural or logical conclusion based on preceding information. 'Given A, it follows that B.' Often used to connect cause and reason to a result that makes sense in light of the explanation. Can be translated as 'that's why,' 'no wonder,' or 'so it means that.' Different from 〜ことになる, which is about decisions/circumstantial results, and from 〜はずだ, which is about expectation based on reasoning. 〜わけではない is the negative form ('it doesn't mean that').

〜きる: do something to completion, thoroughly, or exhaustively (e.g. 食べきる 'eat it all', 言いきる 'say definitively / declare'). 〜きれる: can do completely (potential). 〜きれない: cannot do completely — very common with verbs like 数えきれない 'countless', 食べきれない 'can't finish eating', 信じきれない 'can't quite believe'. Different from 〜ぬく: きる focuses on completeness/quantity ('finish 100% of something'), while ぬく focuses on persevering through difficulty to the end.

Two main uses: (1) A decision has been made, usually by others or by circumstances (not the speaker's personal choice — for personal decisions, use 〜ことにする). (2) A situation logically amounts to or results in something (similar to 〜わけだ but more about objective outcomes than reasoning). Often used to announce official decisions, rules, or natural consequences. 〜ことになっている expresses a rule or arrangement that is in place (see separate entry).

Two distinct uses: (1) Hearsay — reporting information obtained from another source (similar to 〜そうだ but more formal/written). (2) Explanation/interpretation — clarifying what something means (similar to 〜わけだ / 〜ことになる). The context determines which interpretation applies. In spoken Japanese, the hearsay use often appears as 〜んだって (casual) or 〜とのことです (polite). The explanation use often follows つまり or is used to rephrase.

Expresses that something is established as a rule, regulation, schedule, or convention. The arrangement is already in place at the time of speaking. Often used for company rules, school regulations, social conventions, or scheduled events. こととなっている is the more formal/written variant, often found in official documents. Different from 〜ことになる, which describes the moment a decision is made (a change), while 〜ことになっている describes the ongoing state of the rule being in effect.

Expresses that something was narrowly avoided — the action almost happened but did not. Often paired with もう少しで (almost, nearly). Can be used for both negative outcomes (accidents, mistakes) and neutral ones (things that almost happened). The verb is always in the dictionary form (non-past), even though referring to a past event, because the action did NOT actually occur. Often appears in the pattern もう少しで〜ところだった.

Expresses that after a prolonged period of something (deliberation, effort, trouble), the eventual outcome was negative or unsatisfactory. The preceding action is typically difficult or protracted. あげくの + N is the noun-modifying form (e.g. あげくの果て 'the final outcome'). Often used with 結局 in the result clause. The result must already be known — not predictive. Related to 〜末（に）, but あげく more strongly implies a bad ending.

Expresses that after a long process, deliberation, or struggle, a certain result was reached. Unlike あげく, the result can be positive, negative, or neutral — 末 simply marks the endpoint of an extended process. 末の + N is the noun-modifying form. Often used with verbs like 考える、悩む、努力する、話し合う. More neutral and factual than あげく, which strongly implies a bad outcome.

Two main uses: (1) 'only / nothing but' — limited quantity or sole occurrence (e.g. 一人きり 'all alone', 一度きり 'just once'). (2) 'the last time an action was done, and nothing has happened since' — implies a break in contact or action after a certain point, often with a nuance of regret or concern (e.g. 彼は出かけたきり、戻らなかった 'He went out and never came back'). In the second use, the sentence often ends with 〜ない or has a negative implication. っきり is the colloquial form.

Two main nuances: (1) Leaving something in a state after use without closing/putting away — often with criticism or a sense of neglect (e.g. ドアを開けっぱなし 'leave the door open', 電気をつけっぱなし 'leave the light on'). (2) An action continuing without pause (e.g. 立ちっぱなし 'standing the whole time', 働きっぱなし 'working non-stop'). Unlike 〜たまま, which describes a static state remaining unchanged, っぱなし often implies the action should have been properly concluded. More colloquial and emotive than たまま.

Expresses that the speaker had an intention or opportunity to do something, but in the end did not do it, and now feels regret or dissatisfaction about that. ず is the classical negative form (equivalent to ない). Commonly used with verbs like 行く→行かずじまい, 読む→読まずじまい, 言う→言わずじまい. The じまい part comes from 仕舞い (ending/conclusion), so the literal sense is 'it ended with not doing ~.' Compare with 〜っぱなし: ずじまい is about an action never getting done, while っぱなし is about an action/state being left unresolved.

Expresses that a situation has progressed to an extreme, critical, or final stage. Often carries a tone of criticism ('how could things go this far?'), surprise, or highlighting an especially bad example. 〜に至っては often singles out the most extreme case among several. More formal and literary than 〜になって. Used in news reports, editorials, and formal commentary.

Expresses carrying something through to completion despite difficulties. The emphasis is on perseverance, endurance, and overcoming obstacles. Different from 〜きる: ぬく emphasizes the struggle and determination involved in reaching the end, while きる emphasizes the completeness/thoroughness of the action. Common verbs: 走りぬく (run to the very end), 生きぬく (survive/live through), やりぬく (carry through to completion), 考えぬく (think through thoroughly). Often carries a dramatic or emotional weight.

Two main uses: (1) Formal explanation of circumstances or reasons — often used in speeches, business correspondence, or official statements to explain the background of a decision or situation (e.g. 以上の次第で 'for the reasons stated above'). (2) 'Depends on' — the outcome is determined by something (e.g. 努力次第だ 'it depends on your effort'). In the first usage, 次第 summarizes the preceding explanation. More formal than simple 〜からだ or 〜ためだ. Also appears in set phrases like 次第です / 次第でございます.

Formal/written expression meaning 'to reach the point/stage/outcome of.' Used to describe processes that culminate in a certain result. Often appears in serious contexts (politics, business, academic writing). 〜に至るまで means 'all the way to / even down to (the smallest detail).' Different from 〜に至って（は）: に至る describes the process of reaching a point (verb), while に至って is a conjunctive form meaning 'now that it has reached the point of' (setting up a conclusion). に至る is the dictionary/terminal form and can modify nouns directly.

Expresses that things have reached a deplorable, regrettable, or shameful state. Always carries strong negative evaluation. 始末 (shimatsu) literally means 'state of affairs / outcome,' and when used with this pattern, it always refers to a bad ending that is the person's own fault. Often implies criticism of irresponsibility or lack of self-control. Commonly used in the pattern 〜ようなしまつだ or このしまつだ. Very formal/literary — rarely used in casual speech.