Translation guide
How to express completing an action in Japanese, using verbs like 終わる, 済む, and compound forms.
To say that someone finishes doing something, using the most common pattern.
Attach 終わる to the ます-stem of a verb to mean 'finish doing'. This is the most direct and common way.
宿題をやり終わった。
I finished doing my homework.
本を読み終わったら、電話します。
I'll call you when I finish reading the book.
Often implies finishing something completely, sometimes with a nuance of regret or doing something unintentionally. In casual speech, ～ちゃう/～じゃう is common.
レポートを書いてしまった。
I finished writing the report (completely).
全部食べちゃった。
I finished eating it all.
A more formal or literary way to say 'finish doing'. 終える is a transitive verb.
彼は話すのを終えた。
He finished speaking.
To express relief that an unpleasant task is over, or to say you've gotten it out of the way.
Often used in the form V (て-form) + 済む to mean 'get it done with' or 'be finished with', implying the task was a burden.
宿題が済んだ。
I finished my homework (and I'm glad it's over).
仕事をやって済ませた。
I got the work done and over with.
When context implies relief, ～てしまう can mean 'finish (and be done with it)'.
やっと掃除をしてしまった。
I finally finished cleaning.
To emphasize that an action is done to completion, leaving nothing left.
Means to do something completely, to the end. Often used with verbs like 食べる, 読む, 走る.
長い小説を読み切った。
I finished reading the long novel (all the way through).
マラソンを走り切った。
I finished running the marathon.
Means to do something exhaustively, use up, or do to the utmost. Stronger than 切る.
アイデアを出し尽くした。
I exhausted all my ideas.
To indicate that after finishing one action, another action occurs.
Simply states that after doing V, something else happens. It implies the first action is completed.
食事をしてから、出かけましょう。
Let's go out after we finish eating.
Literally 'after doing', used to sequence events.
仕事が終わった後で、飲みに行こう。
Let's go for a drink after we finish work.
終わる is neutral 'finish/end'. 済む implies completion of something necessary or burdensome, often with relief. 済む is intransitive; its transitive pair is 済ませる.
While V-stem + 終わる is correct, in casual speech it's often more natural to use ～てしまう or simply state the action is done with もう/た形. Overusing 終わる can sound stiff.