“〜te miru”: Try Doing 〜 (and see) + the Difference from 〜te oku [JLPT N4]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「飲んでみよう」「行ってみたい」 — do it and see how it goes.
「てみる」「ておく」「てしまう」 — how to tell the three 「て ＋ auxiliary」s apart?
「薬を飲んでみる」 (try taking the medicine), 「薬を買っておく」 (buy the medicine in advance), 「薬を全部飲んでしまった」 (ended up taking all the medicine) — the same 「て-form ＋ auxiliary,” yet totally different meanings: てみる = attempt, ておく = prepare in advance, てしまう = finish／by accident. Centered on 「てみる」, this guide contrasts it with the most-confusable 「ておく」「てしまう」 to sort this auxiliary set at once (「てみる」's basics have their own 〈てみる basics〉 guide).
Core: attempt (てみる) vs prepare (ておく) vs complete (てしまう)
All three take the て-form, but with totally different feels:
- てみる = attempt (do and see the result): 食べてみる (try eating).
- ておく = prepare in advance (do ahead for the future): 買っておく (buy in advance).
- てしまう = finish／by accident, regret: 食べてしまう (finish eating／accidentally ate).
Test: “give it a try” → てみる; “do ahead” → ておく; “finished／oh no” → てしまう.
How to Connect
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てみる | attempt (see the result) | やってみる |
| 〜ておく | prepare in advance | 予約しておく |
| 〜てしまう | finish／by accident | 忘れてしまう |
例句解析
- この薬、効くか分からないけど、とりあえず飲んでみる。(Not sure it'll work, but I'll try taking it.) — てみる (attempt)
- 明日の試験のために、単語を覚えておく。(For tomorrow's test, I'll memorize the words in advance.) — ておく (prepare)
- 財布を忘れてしまった！どうしよう。(I ended up forgetting my wallet! What now.) — てしまう (regret)
- 面白そうだから、この本を読んでみる。(It looks interesting, so I'll give this book a read.) — てみる
- 旅行前に、ホテルを予約しておく。(Before the trip, I'll book the hotel in advance.) — ておく
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① Don't confuse てみる (try) with ておく (prepare). てみる = tentatively do, see the result (新しい店に行ってみる = try the new shop); ておく = do ahead for later convenience (席を取っておく = grab a seat in advance). One is “try,” the other “prepare” — different directions.
② てしまう has two senses: completion vs regret. 宿題をやってしまう (finish the homework = completion, get it done); 財布を落としてしまった (accidentally dropped my wallet = regret). Tell by context: neutral tone = “finish”; a negative event = “by accident, oh no.” Colloquially contracts to 「〜ちゃう／〜じゃう」 (食べちゃう).
③ All three take the て-form — choose by feel. For “give it a try” use てみる, for “prepare ahead” use ておく, for “finish／by accident” use てしまう. Same attachment (て-form ＋ auxiliary); the difference is the nuance you want.
🔄 Compare: てみる／ておく／てしまう
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てみる | attempt (do and see) | 行ってみる |
| 〜ておく | prepare in advance (for the future) | 予約しておく |
| 〜てしまう | finish／by accident, regret | 忘れてしまう |
| (colloquial) 〜ちゃう | contraction of てしまう | 食べちゃう |
💡 How to remember this
These three 「て ＋ auxiliary」s are three everyday workhorses of Japanese; three keywords keep them apart: てみる = try (食べてみる = try eating), ておく = prepare (買っておく = buy ahead), てしまう = finish/oops (食べてしまった = finished eating／accidentally ate). The easiest confusion is てみる vs ておく — “tentatively do and see” uses てみる; “do ahead for the future” uses ておく. てしまう depends on context: neutral is “finish” (宿題をやってしまおう = let's get the homework done), negative is “by accident” (遅刻してしまった = ended up late), colloquially 「〜ちゃう」 (遅刻しちゃった). All three are very frequent — sort the nuances and your expression gets much sharper. For 「てみる」's basics, see the 〈てみる basics〉 guide.
❓ FAQ
Q: Fastest way to tell 「てみる」「ておく」「てしまう」 apart?
Three keywords: try／prepare／finish. てみる = try (tentatively do, see the result: やってみる = give it a try); ておく = prepare (do ahead for the future: 買っておく = buy in advance, 予約しておく = book ahead); てしまう = finish／oops (finish, or by accident, regret: 食べてしまった = finished eating／accidentally ate). All three take the て-form; the difference is nuance — “attempt” → てみる, “prepare” → ておく, “completion or regret” → てしまう.
Q: Is 「てしまう」 “finish” or “by accident”?
Either — tell by context and whether the event is positive or negative. ① Completion, get it done (neutral): 宿題を早くやってしまおう (let's get the homework done quickly) — stressing “fully finish.” ② By accident, regret (negative): 大事な書類をなくしてしまった (accidentally lost an important document) — with an “oh no, regret” feel. Test: a good/neutral event = “finish”; a bad event/slip = “by accident, regret.” Colloquially contracts to 「〜ちゃう (〜でしまう→〜じゃう)」: 食べちゃった (ate it up), 忘れちゃった (forgot it).
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「この薬、効くかどうか分からないけど、飲ん___よ。」 (let me try taking it)
(A) でみよう (B) でおこう (C) でしまおう (D) ていこう
Q2. 「明日の試験のために、単語を覚え___。」 (memorize them in advance, for tomorrow)
(A) てみた (B) ておいた (C) てしまった (D) てきた
Q3. 「財布を忘れ___！どうしよう！」 (accidentally forgot it, regretful)
(A) てみた (B) ておいた (C) てしまった (D) ていった
Q4. 「このレストランは評判がいいから、今度行っ___。」 (want to try going)
(A) てみたい (B) ておきたい (C) てしまいたい (D) ていきたい
Q5. 「旅行中に全部のお金を使い___。」 (spent all the money, a bit regretful)
(A) てみた (B) ておいた (C) てしまった (D) ていた
Answer Explanations
1. (A) でみよう ── 「効くかどうか分からないけど」 = unsure of the effect, so give it a try → てみる.
2. (B) ておいた ── 「明日の試験のために」 = preparing in advance for tomorrow → ておく (acting ahead of time).
3. (C) てしまった ── 「どうしよう！」 = an unexpected, regretful situation → てしまう (regret/mishap).
4. (A) てみたい ── 「評判がいいから、行ってみたい」 = want to try going (with curiosity/an attempt) → てみる.
5. (C) てしまった ── spending all your money on a trip = a somewhat regretful completion → てしまう (completion + regret nuance).