Attaches to a noun to mean the end of that thing, often with a nuance of finality or closing up. Common in compounds like 店じまい (closing a shop for the day or for good).
See also: 店じまい
Let's close up the shop for today.
ending up not doing; without having a chance to
Attaches to the 〜ず negative form of a verb to express regret or disappointment that something ended without the intended action taking place. Often implies 'before I could even...'.
I look forward to having a drink at the end of a long day's work.
In the end, I ended up not saying anything to him.
I ended up not buying the book I wanted to, and it sold out.
Usually written in kana. The kanji spellings 仕舞い, 仕舞, 終い, and 了い exist but are rare in modern use.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form じまい is strongly preferred.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form じまい is strongly preferred.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form じまい is strongly preferred.
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form じまい is strongly preferred.
Derived from the noun しまい (仕舞い), meaning 'end' or 'finish', with rendaku voicing to じまい when used as a suffix. The kanji 仕舞い is ateji.