〜終わる (おわる) — Finish doing / Done with
A compound-verb suffix expressing the completion of an action, attached to the masu-stem. Indicates the action has been carried through to its end.
Structure
[Verb masu-stem] + 終わる
Examples
レポートを書き終わりました。
Repooto wo kakiowarimashita.
I finished writing the report.
書き (write, masu-stem) + 終わりました (finished)
食べ終わったら、皿を洗ってください。
Tabeowattara, sara wo aratte kudasai.
After you finish eating, please wash the dishes.
食べ終わったら = after finishing eating (conditional)
読み終わった本は返してください。
Yomiowatta hon wa kaeshite kudasai.
Please return the book once you're done reading it.
読み終わった本 = the book you've finished reading
• Aspect suffix set: 〜始める (start), 〜続ける (continue), 〜終わる (finish). • 終わる conjugates as a u-verb: 終わります, 終わった, etc. • Compare: 〜てしまう = completely done (often with regret) vs 〜終わる = finished doing (neutral completion). • 終える is the transitive counterpart, more common in formal writing (書き終える).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 〜終わる is tested against.
vs 始める
始める marks the START of an action; 終わる marks its completion. They are a natural pair.
vs てしまう
てしまう = 'finish completely', often with a regret/unintended nuance; 終わる is neutral completion of the action.
vs 終える
終える is the transitive version — you actively bring the action to an end (書き終える); it feels more formal/written.
More verb forms
- てくる — Come Doing / Has Been Doing (Toward Now)
- てみる — Try Doing (and See)
- Potential Form — Can / Be Able To (Verbs)
- がる／がっている — Describing Others' Feelings
- 〜出す (だす) — Abrupt Eruptions
- 〜始める (はじめる) — Intentional Beginnings
- 意向形 (いこうけい) — Volitional Form (Let's / I'll)
- くする / にする — Make something become (a quality)
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