～っぱなし — Left As It Is
Attaches to a verb stem to say something is left in a state after an action, often with a nuance of neglect or carelessness ('left the light on', 'left the door open'). It can also mean an action continues without pause ('standing the whole time'). Often carries mild criticism.
Structure
[Verb ます-stem] + っぱなし
Examples
電気をつけっぱなしで寝てしまった。
Denki o tsukeppanashi de nete shimatta.
I fell asleep with the light left on.
つけ (stem of つける) + っぱなし = left in the 'on' state, careless nuance
窓を開けっぱなしにしないで。
Mado o akeppanashi ni shinaide.
Don't leave the window open.
開け (stem of 開ける) + っぱなし = a lingering, neglected state
電車が混んでいて、一時間立ちっぱなしだった。
Densha ga konde ite, ichijikan tachippanashi datta.
The train was crowded, so I stood the whole hour.
立ち (stem of 立つ) + っぱなし = an action continuing without a break
• Often implies negligence — something should have been undone but wasn't. • Derives from the verb 放す (to release / leave); its ます-stem 放し shifts to っぱなし with a small tsu and handakuten (は→ぱ). • Frequently used with ～にする ('leave it in that state') and ～だ.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～っぱなし is tested against.
vs ～たまま
～たまま neutrally states an unchanged state; ～っぱなし usually adds a nuance of carelessness or neglect.
vs ～ておく
～ておく means doing something on purpose in preparation; ～っぱなし means leaving something (often carelessly) without dealing with it.
More expressions
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