“〜zu jimai”: Ended Up Never 〜-ing (with regret) [JLPT N1]

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

Wanting to do something but ultimately never doing it — with regret

「結局、会えずじまいだった」 — meant to, yet in the end never managed to

Life always has its small regrets of “I meant to, kept not doing it, and in the end just let it go” — a thanks never given, a person never met, a Mt. Fuji never seen. Japanese captures this rue precisely with 「ずじまい」: 「忙しくて、会えずじまいだった (too busy, in the end never managed to meet).」 「〜ずじまい」 = meant to do something, yet in the end never managed to (with regret). This guide also teaches the special 「する → せずじまい」 change and distinguishes the near-synonyms 〈ないまま〉〈そびれる〉.

Core: meant to, yet in the end never managed (with regret)

「(verb ない-form minus 「ない」) ＋ ずじまい」 = meant to do something, yet in the end never managed to, with regret, rue:

• 結局、真相は分からずじまいだった (in the end, the truth was never uncovered).
• 忙しくて、彼にお礼を言えずじまいだった (too busy, in the end never managed to thank him).
• 天気が悪く、富士山は見ずじまいに終わった (bad weather, Mt. Fuji in the end went unseen).

Feel: 「じまい (仕舞い)」 = “ending, wrapping up,” and 「ずじまい」 = “wrapping up with ‘didn't (manage).'” Its point is “meant to／planned to do → yet in the end never managed → leaving regret,” with deep rue, ‘what a pity.' It describes the ending of something missed, left undone, in a rueful tone, often paired with 「結局・とうとう.」 Usable in speech and writing. In English: in the end never managed to ～, never ～ in the end, ended up not ～ing. (The near-synonym 〈ないまま〉 is just “staying in the not-done state,” not necessarily with regret — see below.)

Attachment rules

Example sentences

• せっかくの旅行だったのに、雨で観光できずじまいだった。(It was a special trip, yet with the rain, in the end we never got to sightsee.)
• 言いたいことがあったのに、結局言えずじまいだった。(I had something to say, yet in the end never managed to say it.)
• 借りた本を、とうとう返せずじまいになってしまった。(The borrowed book, in the end I never managed to return.)
• あの人には、お礼も言えず、連絡もせずじまいで別れてしまった。(With that person, I never got to thank them, never even managed to contact them, and we parted.)
• 気になっていた店は、行かずじまいで閉店してしまった。(The shop I'd been curious about closed before I ever managed to go.)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① It carries ‘meant to, yet in the end never managed' regret — not a plain ‘didn't do.' The core of 「ずじまい」 isn't just “didn't do” but “meant to／planned to／should have → yet for some reason kept not doing → and in the end it ended that way, leaving regret.” It always carries rue, ‘what a pity,' feeling — the rueful ending of “missed it, ran out of time, just let it go”: お礼を言えずじまい (meant to thank but in the end couldn't, a regret), 富士山を見ずじまい (meant to see but never did, a pity). Test: to express “meant to, yet in the end never managed (with regret)” → ずじまい; to plainly, objectively say “didn't do” (no regret) → 「〜なかった.」

② 「する」 becomes 「せずじまい,」 a special change (not 「しずじまい」). The attachment is “verb ない-form minus 「ない」 ＋ ずじまい” — 会えない → 会えずじまい, 言えない → 言えずじまい, 行かない → 行かずじまい. But 「する」 is a special change: its literary negative is 「せず,」 so 「する ＋ ずじまい」 = 「せずじまい」 (連絡せずじまい, 返事せずじまい), not 「しずじまい.」 This is the easiest place to slip. Test: ordinary verbs → ない-form minus ない ＋ ずじまい; 「する」 → せずじまい (memorize it).

③ Different from 「ないまま」 — 「ずじまい」 stresses the rueful ending of ‘never managed,' 「ないまま」 is just ‘staying in the not-done state.' Both relate to “not doing,” but the emphasis differs. 「ずじまい」 stresses the rueful ending of “(meant to but) in the end never managed, and it ended that way,” with rue, feeling: 真相は分からずじまいだった (the truth was never uncovered in the end — a rueful ending). 「ないまま」 is just “staying in the state of not having done ～ (and then ～),” a continuation of state, not necessarily with regret: 何も言わないまま、部屋を出た (left the room without saying anything — just describing a state, no regret needed). Difference: 「ずじまい」 = the rueful ending of never having managed (with rue); 「ないまま」 = staying in the not-done state (neutral, no regret needed). Test: to stress “(meant to but) in the end never managed, a regret” → ずじまい; to just say “staying in the state of not having done ～” → ないまま.

④ The difference from 「〜そびれる」 — ‘missing the timing' vs. ‘the rueful ending.' Both can express “never managed to,” but the emphasis differs. 「〜そびれる」 stresses “missing the timing, chance to do (so didn't),” the point being “missed the moment”: 言いそびれる (missed the chance to say, didn't say), 聞きそびれる (missed the chance to ask, didn't ask). 「ずじまい」 stresses “the rueful ending of ultimately not doing,” the point being “the ending, wrapping up undone, leaving regret,” often paired with 「結局・とうとう」: 結局、言えずじまいだった (in the end never managed to say — a rueful ending). The two often combine (言いそびれて、結局言えずじまい). Difference: 「そびれる」 = missing the timing (didn't do); 「ずじまい」 = the rueful ending of ultimately not doing. Test: stressing “missed the timing” → そびれる; stressing “ultimately never did, leaving regret” → ずじまい.

🔄 Compare: ずじまい／ないまま／そびれる／ずに終わる

💡 How to remember this

「〜ずじまい」 is a pattern full of regret — made for the rue of “meant to (should have) do, yet in the end never managed, and just let it go.” 「お礼を言えずじまい」「富士山を見ずじまい」 carry, in a single phrase, the feeling of “ah, what a pity, ran out of time.” Three points: ① it carries the regret of ‘meant to but in the end never managed' (not a plain “didn't do”); ② 「する」 becomes 「せずじまい,」 a special change (not しずじまい, the easiest slip); ③ often paired with 「結局・とうとう,」 reinforcing that rueful ending. Unlike 「ないまま (staying in the not-done state, neutral),」 ずじまい always carries rue. To write that faint regret of “missed, left undone,” 「ずじまい」 fits best.

❓ Quick FAQ

Q: Why does 「する ＋ ずじまい」 become 「せずじまい」 and not 「しずじまい」?

Because the 「ず」 in 「ずじまい」 is a literary negative auxiliary, and when it attaches to 「する,」 it uses 「する」's literary imperfective 「せ,」 giving 「せ ＋ ず = せず,」 plus 「じまい」 = 「せずじまい.」 This is a fixed special change to memorize. To sum up the attachment rule: ordinary verbs use “ない-form minus 「ない」 ＋ ずじまい” — 会わない → 会わずじまい, 言えない → 言えずじまい, 行かない → 行かずじまい (same as 「ず」's attachment — the 「ない-form」 minus the 「ない」 part). But 「する」 is irregular: with 「ず」 it's not 「し」 but the literary 「せ,」 so 「する → せず → せずじまい」 (連絡せずじまい, 返事せずじまい, 勉強せずじまい). 「来る (くる)」 also needs care — with 「ず」 it's 「来（こ）ず」 → 「来ずじまい.」 Test: ordinary verbs → ない-form minus ない ＋ ずじまい; する → せずじまい (special); 来る → 来（こ）ずじまい (special). Memorize these few specials (せず, 来ず) and you won't slip.

Q: What's the difference between 「見ずじまい」 and 「見ないまま」? Both “didn't see”?

Both relate to “didn't see,” but the emphasis and feeling are entirely different. 「見ずじまい」 = in the end never got to see (a rueful ending): stresses “meant to／planned to see, yet for some reason in the end never saw, and it ended that way,” with deep regret, rue — 「せっかく来たのに、富士山は見ずじまいだった」 = “I came all this way, yet in the end never got to see Mt. Fuji (such a pity).” It's about “the rueful ending of not having seen,” often paired with 「結局・とうとう.」 「見ないまま」 = staying in the not-seen state (and then ～): just objectively describing “staying in the ‘didn't see' state,” a continuation of state, not necessarily with regret — 「中身を見ないまま、箱を捨てた」 = “threw the box away without looking inside” (just the state of “tossed it without looking,” not necessarily a pity). Difference: 「見ずじまい」 = the rueful ending of (meaning to but) never getting to see (with rue); 「見ないまま」 = staying in the not-seen state (neutral, no regret needed). Test: to express “(meant to but) in the end never got to see, a regret” → 見ずじまい; to just say “in the not-seen state (then did something else)” → 見ないまま. So “came all this way yet never got to see Mt. Fuji” (regret) uses 「見ずじまい,」 “tossed it without looking” (a neutral state) uses 「見ないまま.」

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「結局、真相は分から___だった。」（in the end, couldn't figure out the truth; with regret）

(A) ずじまい　(B) っぱなし　(C) がてら　(D) きり

Q2. 「する」を「ずじまい」に接続すると?

(A) せずじまい　(B) しずじまい　(C) するずじまい　(D) してずじまい

Q3. 「会えずじまいだった」の意味は?

(A) In the end couldn't meet (with regret)

(B) Met

(C) Don't want to meet

(D) About to meet soon

Q4. 「ずじまい」の語感は?

(A) Intended to do it but in the end never did (with regret)

(B) Completed smoothly

(C) A command

(D) A condition

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 言わずじまいで後悔した。　(B) 言うずじまい。

(C) 言ってずじまい。　(D) 言ったずじまい。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) ずじまい ── In the end couldn't figure out the truth.

2. (A) せずじまい ── する → せず.

3. (A) ── In the end couldn't meet.

4. (A) ── Intended to do it but in the end never did (regret).

5. (A) ── 「言わずじまい」 is correct.