Grammar Info
N1 Lesson 9: 4/20

ずじまい
ended up not, did not (in the end), never did

originates from the voiced verb[stem] form of しまう. Very often used in past form.

Structure
Verb[ない+ + じまい
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
  • Aずじまい is an expression of regret, used when one ends up not doing what she/he wanted, planned, or had to do. Often used with adverbs like ついに、結局、とうとう. わからずじまい is a common expression.
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A「結局(けっきょく)、やらじまいで新(しん)学期(がっき)になっちゃった。」
B「なにをやらなかったの?」
A「夏休(なつやす)み宿題(しゅくだい)…」
A: “I ended up not doing it, and the new school term started.”
B: “What did you not do?”
A: “The summer homework...”
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「宇崎(うざき)さん映画館(えいがかん)に行(い)こうと思(おも)っていたけど、仕事(しごと)から手(て)が離(はな)せなくて結局(けっきょく)行(い)けじまいだった。」
"I planned to go to the cinema with Uzaki, but I couldn’t get away from work, so I ended up not going."
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《小説(しょうせつ)》事故(じこ)の原因(げんいん)について調(しら)べようとしたが、ついにわからじまいだった。
Novel: I tried to investigate the cause of the accident, but I ended up not discovering anything.
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Shin Kanzen Master N2 Bunpou
Page 91