“ta ageku” Meaning & Usage — After All That…, In the End (usually bad) [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

“After agonizing over it, I decided not to go” — a (usually negative) end after much effort, with examples. (JLPT N2)

「さんざん迷った挙句、何も買わなかった」 — after all that dithering, in the end yet…

After a whole afternoon shopping, 「さんざん迷った挙句、結局何も買わなかった」 (after much dithering, in the end I bought nothing) — 「〜た挙句・〜の挙句」 = after (much) ～, in the end yet…, meaning “after much trouble, agonizing, the result is a (mostly negative) one.” It's a frequently-tested contrast with the positive-result 「〜た末に」 (see 〈末に〉). This guide covers its “negative result” feel and the positive/negative division with 「末に.」

Core: after much trouble, in the end yet (mostly negative)

「verb た-form／noun の ＋ 挙句」 means “after much trouble, agonizing, effort, the result is (bad, wasted, worse)”:

• 悩んだ挙句、結局やめてしまった (after much agonizing, ended up quitting).
• さんざん迷った挙句、何も決められなかった (after much hesitating, couldn't decide anything).
• 長時間の議論の挙句、結論は出なかった (after long debate, no conclusion came).

Feel: “after (much) ～, in the end yet…” — the core is “after a bout of trouble/agonizing/effort, ending up with a (negative, disappointing) result,” with the resignation or negativity of “after all that, in the end yet….” It values “the disappointing result after the trouble,” the result mostly negative (wasted, gave up, failed, worse).

Attachment rules

Example sentences

• あちこち探し回った挙句、目当ての本は見つからなかった。(After searching all over, I couldn't find the book I wanted.)
• 長時間交渉した挙句、話し合いは決裂した。(After long negotiation, the talks broke down.)
• 彼は散々文句を言った挙句、自分では何もしなかった。(After complaining endlessly, he did nothing himself.)
• さんざん迷った挙句、一番高いものを買ってしまった。(After much dithering, I ended up buying the most expensive one.)
• 口論の挙句、二人は仲たがいしてしまった。(After a quarrel, the two fell out.)

⚠️ Easy traps to avoid

① 「挙句」's result is ‘mostly negative,' opposite to 「末に」's positive. This is the key distinction (see 〈末に〉). 「〜た挙句」 = after much ～, in the end yet… (mostly negative): stresses “after much trouble, agonizing, effort, the result is (bad, wasted, worse, disappointing),” with the resignation of “after all that, in the end yet…”: 悩んだ挙句、やめてしまった (after agonizing, ended up quitting — negative), 迷った挙句、何も買わなかった (after hesitating, bought nothing — wasted). Its result is “a disappointing one after the trouble.” 「〜た末に」 = after ～, finally… (mostly positive/neutral): stresses “after effort/thought, finally reaching a (good/neutral) result”: 悩んだ末に、いい決断をした (after agonizing, made a good decision — positive, see 〈末に〉). Difference: 「挙句」 mostly negative (after much trouble, yet bad); 「末に」 mostly positive/neutral (finally achieved through effort). Test: the result is “after much trouble, yet (bad/wasted/worse)” → 挙句; the result is “finally (well/neutrally) achieved through effort” → 末に (see 〈末に〉). This is a frequently-tested positive/negative contrast in N2.

② Attach a verb た-form or ‘noun ＋ の.' Note the attachment. Attach a verb た-form (悩んだ挙句, 迷った挙句); attach a noun with 「の」 (口論の挙句, 苦労の挙句). ○ 悩んだ挙句 (verb た-form), ○ 口論の挙句 (noun ＋ の) / × 悩む挙句 (dictionary form wrong), × 口論挙句 (missing 「の」). Mnemonic: verb た-form ＋ 挙句／noun ＋ の ＋ 挙句 (same attachment as 〈末に〉). What precedes is “a bout of trouble” (悩む・迷う・口論する・交渉する).

③ It carries ‘a bout of trouble' ＋ ‘a negative result,' with resignation/criticism. 「挙句」's core is “after a bout of trouble, agonizing, painstaking process, ending up with a negative result,” with the resignation, regret, even criticism of “it was all for nothing, in the end yet….” It foregrounds the gap and resignation of “after much trouble, yet a bad/wasted/worse result”: さんざん悩んだ挙句、間違った選択をした (after much agonizing, made the wrong choice — resigned), 大金を使った挙句、失敗した (after spending a fortune, failed — regretful). So what precedes is mostly a “painstaking, troublesome process” like 悩む・迷う・口論する・文句を言う・交渉する, and what follows is a “negative, disappointing result,” with an overall “things going contrary to hope, wasted effort” feel. Test: to express “after much trouble/agonizing, yet (bad, wasted)” (with resignation/criticism) → 挙句; to express “finally (well/neutrally) achieved through effort” (positive) → 末に (see 〈末に〉).

🔄 Nuance & comparison: 挙句／末に／結果／あげくの果て

💡 Quick takeaway

「〜た挙句・の挙句」 = after (much) ～, in the end yet… (after much trouble, a negative result) — three points: ① the result is mostly negative — the biggest difference from 「末に」: 挙句 = after much trouble, yet (bad/wasted/worse) (悩んだ挙句やめた = after agonizing, still quit), 末に = finally (well/neutrally) achieved through effort (悩んだ末に決めた, see 〈末に〉); ② attach a verb た-form or noun の (悩んだ挙句／口論の挙句); ③ it carries “a bout of trouble ＋ a disappointing result,” with resignation/criticism — after all that, in the end yet…. This pattern suits expressing the resignation of “after much trouble/agonizing, yet wasted/worse” — 「〜挙句、〜」, with a sigh of “things going contrary to hope, wasted effort.” To express finally achieving a good result through effort, use 〈末に〉. This “opposite-polarity” pair (末に positive / 挙句 negative) is a classic N2 contrast.

❓ Questions you might have

Q: 「挙句」 and 「末に」 both mean ‘in the end after ～' — how do I tell them apart?

The key difference is the result's positivity/negativity: 「挙句」 is mostly negative, 「末に」 mostly positive/neutral (see 〈末に〉). 「〜た挙句」 = after much ～, in the end yet… (result mostly negative): stresses “after a bout of trouble, agonizing, effort, the result is (bad, wasted, worse, disappointing),” with the resignation or criticism of “after all that, in the end yet…”: さんざん悩んだ挙句、結局やめてしまった (after much agonizing, ended up quitting — negative), あちこち探した挙句、見つからなかった (after searching all over, couldn't find it — wasted), 口論の挙句、別れた (after a quarrel, broke up — negative). Its result is “a disappointing one after the trouble,” valuing “wasted effort, contrary to hope.” 「〜た末に」 = after ～, finally… (result mostly positive or neutral): stresses “after effort, thought, twists, finally reaching a (good or neutral) result,” with an “at last, finally (bore fruit/made a decision)” feel: さんざん悩んだ末に、留学を決めた (after much agonizing, finally decided to study abroad — neutral/positive, see 〈末に〉), 努力の末に成功した (finally succeeded after effort — positive). Its result is “a (good result/important decision) finally achieved through effort.” Test: the result is “after much trouble, yet (bad, wasted, worse)” → 挙句 (negative); the result is “finally (well/neutrally) achieved through effort” → 末に (positive/neutral, see 〈末に〉). E.g. same 「悩んだ〜」: 「悩んだ挙句、何も決められなかった (after agonizing, couldn't decide anything — negative)」 uses 挙句; 「悩んだ末に、いい方法を見つけた (after agonizing, finally found a good method — positive)」 uses 末に. So choose by the result's goodness/badness: bad/wasted result → 挙句, good/finally-achieved result → 末に. Remember “挙句 = in the end yet (mostly negative), 末に = finally (mostly positive)” and you won't confuse them. (Also, 「挙句の果てに」 is an intensified 挙句, more negative.)

Q: What form precedes 「挙句」?

A verb た-form or ‘noun ＋ の' (same attachment as 「末に」). ① verb → た-form ＋ 挙句: put the verb into the past (た-form), meaning “after the trouble/going through that process”: 悩んだ挙句 (after agonizing), 迷った挙句 (after hesitating), 探し回った挙句 (after searching about), 文句を言った挙句 (after complaining). Not the dictionary form: × 悩む挙句 → ○ 悩んだ挙句. ② noun → の ＋ 挙句: add 「の」 after the noun, then 挙句: 口論の挙句 (after a quarrel), 苦労の挙句 (after hardship), 長考の挙句 (after long thought), 交渉の挙句 (after negotiation). Don't drop 「の」: × 口論挙句 → ○ 口論の挙句. So the rule: verb た-form ＋ 挙句／noun ＋ の ＋ 挙句. What precedes is “a bout of troublesome, agonizing, painstaking process” — verbs are often “went-through-a-lot actions” like 悩む・迷う・口論する・交渉する・探し回る・文句を言う (in た-form for completion), nouns often “process nouns often with a troublesome sense” like 口論・苦労・交渉・長考 (with の). Remember “verb た-form, noun の” and you won't misattach (same attachment as 「末に,」 just that 「挙句」 takes a negative result, 「末に」 a positive one). Also, 「挙句の果てに」 is an intensified 「挙句,」 heavier and more negative (= in the very end, ultimately).

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「3時間も考え___、やはり断ることにした。」(After thinking for 3 whole hours, still decided to refuse — negative nuance)

(A) た末に　(B) た挙句に　(C) たところで　(D) たために

Q2. 「長い議論___、話し合いは物別れに終わった。」(After a long dispute, the talks broke down and ended badly — negative result)

(A) のおかげで　(B) のあげく　(C) のもとで　(D) のかわりに

Q3. Which sentence most naturally uses 末に (the positive fruit of effort)?

(A) 何時間も議論した末に、喧嘩になった。

(B) 何年も研究した末に、ついに成功した。

(C) 悩んだ末に、諦めてしまった。

(D) 話し合った末に、決裂した。

Q4. 「た挙句」が表す意味は？

(A) 努力した結果、良いことが起きた。

(B) After much fretting and hesitation, 否定的な結果になった。

(C) 予想外の良い結果になった。

(D) 努力せずに何かが起きた。

Q5. 「散々悩ん___、やっぱり行かないことにした。」("散々悩む" = to agonize and fret; the following clause is a negative decision)

(A) だ末に　(B) だ挙句に　(C) だところで　(D) だけに

Answer Explanations

1. (B) た挙句に ── 「3時間考えた挙句に」(after fretting for 3 hours), 「やはり断る」(finally refusing = negative, unwelcome) = 挙句 (a negative result).

2. (B) のあげく ──「長い議論のあげく、物別れに終わった」(after a long dispute, ending on bad terms) = after a long 〜, ending up with a (negative) result. (A) のおかげで (thanks to, positive), (C) のもとで (under 〜), (D) のかわりに (instead of) mean different things.

3. (B) ── 「何年も研究した末に、ついに成功した」(success!) = 末に (a positive result after effort). In (A)(C)(D) the following clause is a negative result, so 挙句 should be used.

4. (B) ── た挙句 = after much fretting, hesitation, and many attempts, arriving at a disappointing or critical (negative) result.

5. (B) だ挙句に ── 「散々悩む」(to agonize and fret) + だ挙句に + 「やっぱり行かない」(a negative decision) = 挙句.