おしまい

お

し

ま

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

the end; closing; being done for

usually written using kana alonepolite (teineigo)

Polite noun for the end or conclusion of something; often used in the phrase おしまいにする (to finish/stop). The gloss 'being done for' refers to being ruined or finished in a negative sense.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉はこれでおしまいだthat's the end of ~
授じゅ業ぎょうはこれでおしまいです。
That's the end of class.
〈事こと〉をおしまいにするto bring ~ to an end; to stop doing ~
この話はなしはもうおしまいにしよう。
Let's put an end to this conversation.
〈動どう詞し〉たらおしまいだif you do ~, that's the end of everything
ここで諦あきらめたらおしまいだ。
If you give up here, it's all over.
もうおしまいだit's all over now; I'm done for
財さい布ふをなくして、もうおしまいだ。
I lost my wallet—I'm done for.

Kanji

仕attend, doing, official
舞dance, flit, circle
終end, finish

Related words

終おわりN5sense 1
おしまい is a casual, spoken word for the end of something, while 終わり is the neutral, all-purpose noun used in both speech and writing.
終しゅう了りょうN2sense 1
終了 is a formal, often written term for the completion of an event or process, whereas おしまい is casual and mainly used in speech.
最さい後ごN4sense 1
最後 points to the final item or moment in a sequence, while おしまい marks the point at which the whole thing comes to a close.

Opposites

始はじまりN3sense 1
始まり means the beginning of something, the direct opposite of おしまい, which means its end.

Politeness

仕し舞まいplainN3sense 1
仕舞い is the plain, unadorned word for 'the end,' while おしまい adds the polite prefix お and sounds softer, favored in casual conversation.

Written forms

Applies to each form listed below

rarely-used kanji form

お仕し舞まい
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.
お終しまい
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 仕舞い (しまい, 'end') with the polite prefix お added. The kanji 仕舞 are ateji; the word is usually written in kana.