Translation guide
Expresses that efforts, plans, or hopes end in failure or produce no result. Japanese uses several verbs and set phrases, often with a nuance of waste or futility.
The speaker wants to say that their hard work, careful planning, or expectations ended without achieving anything.
Literally 'become bubbles on the water.' A very common idiom for efforts coming to nothing, often with a sense of wasted effort.
せっかくの努力が水の泡になった。
All my hard work came to naught.
Means 'become wasted/useless.' A straightforward way to say something came to nothing.
計画が全部無駄になった。
All our plans came to naught.
Literally 'end in fruitless labor.' A slightly formal or written expression for efforts that yield no result.
彼の試みは徒労に終わった。
His attempt came to naught.
Literally 'return to a painted rice cake.' A literary idiom meaning a plan or hope ends as an illusion, producing nothing real.
長年の夢も画餅に帰した。
Years of dreams came to naught.
The speaker wants to express that something they were looking forward to or counting on did not happen or was ruined.
Means 'expectations are betrayed/unfulfilled.' A natural way to say hopes came to nothing.
彼の期待は外れた。
His hopes came to naught.
Similar to 期待が外れる but more colloquial; implies a reliance or calculation that failed.
当てが外れてがっかりした。
My hopes came to naught and I was disappointed.
The speaker wants to say that a specific arrangement, deal, or project collapsed or was cancelled.
A colloquial phrase meaning a plan or event is ruined or falls through at the last minute.
旅行の計画がおじゃんになった。
Our travel plans came to naught.
Literally 'flow away.' Used when an event or plan is cancelled or called off, often due to external circumstances.
Means a plan or project fizzles out or dies a natural death without a clear conclusion.
その話は立ち消えになった。
That proposal came to naught.
水の泡になる emphasizes the image of effort vanishing like bubbles, often with emotional weight. 無駄になる is a more neutral statement that something became useless. Both are common, but 水の泡になる is more idiomatic for 'come to naught.'
Avoid directly translating 'come to naught' word-for-word. Phrases like 無に帰す (むにきす) exist but are very literary and rare. Stick to the options above for natural Japanese.
雨で試合が流れた。
The game was rained out (came to naught).